Economy and commerce
Investment
Local MFI relaunched after South Korean buyout
Cambodia’s booming microfinance sector continues to attract international investors, with a South Korean financial institution the latest to buy out one of the Kingdom’s myriad microlenders. The Seoul-based Welcome Financial Group announced on November 4 that it had acquired the full shareholding of Green Central ...
Authorities meet on proposed Law of Treaties
Authorities from eight northern provinces met in Bokeo province recently to discuss a proposed draft law of treaties and international agreements. The draft law would be the first law issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and would set the principles, regulations and procedures for ...
Việt Nam to build more transparent gov’t, continue restructuring economy
Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh said on November 3 at the Việt Nam Summit 2016 that the country would continue to focus on restructuring the economy, renewing its growth model and integrating into the global production and value chain. Minh, who is also Minister of ...
Fierce competition for plastics sector
Plastic firms in Việt Nam face fierce competition and risk being acquired by foreign companies, experts said on November 2 at a conference in HCM City. Phạm Văn Bắc, deputy head of the construction ministry’s department of building materials, said the plastic industry had the potential ...
Singapore firm plans Thilawa galvanising plant
Amid booming demand for high-quality construction materials, Meranti Singapore is planning to build a steel galvanising plant and paintline in Thilawa special economic zone. The firm intends to spend US$85 million on the facility, and is in discussion with the SEZ operator and potential local ...
KrisEnergy ups stake to unclog offshore Block A oil
Singapore-listed KrisEnergy Ltd has upped its stake in the Block A offshore oil field to 95 percent, acquiring the shares of two minority stakeholders who had opposed the Cambodian government’s attempts to renegotiate a revenue-sharing model, the company revealed in its third-quarter filings. The document, ...
Tourism ministry seeks support from Alibaba
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will hold talks with Alibaba Group on November 4 to seek support for tourism in this country and the possibility of using the group’s Alipay platform for an e-visa system. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that after meeting ...
Aquafarming tech will be key to satisfying a seafood-hungry Asia
Some 800 meters above sea level and more than 100km from the nearest ocean, thousands of red sea bream thrive in the mountains of central Japan. Despite being far from their usual habitat, the fish are growing at a healthy rate in their large round ...
Govt begins buying up rice paddy to help farmers amid slump in prices
Government agencies have begun implementing measures aimed at helping rice farmers sell their produce amid declining paddy prices. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is buying up paddy of Hom Mali fragrant rice from farmers throughout the country, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya ...
SMEs urged to use digital technology
Vietnamese firms, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, should take advantage of the power of digital technology to boost sales and improve competitiveness, delegates said at a workshop held in HCM City on November 2. Việt Nam has a high growth rate of internet penetration, with ...