Economy and commerce

Laos has authorised the mining and trading of cryptocurrencies, in a policy shift by the debt-laden south-east Asian nation that positions it to profit from the crackdown on digital currency mining in China. Analysts said the move was a logical step for the landlocked, communist-ruled country ...

Delta Offshore Energy said Tuesday it had secured the environmental approval for the LNG to Power Project, the 3.2 GW power plant, and LNG Terminal in Bac Lieu, Vietnam. “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an extremely important key regulatory milestone towards the financial close and validates ...

China last month inaugurated a new trade route via ship, road and rail running through Myanmar in keeping with Beijing’s dogged building spree across the Southeast Asian country to reach the Indian Ocean and points west. Analysts say it is one more strand in the ever-expanding ...

The dream of a Thai land bridge, a transport route that would cross the Malay Peninsula to connect ports on either side, has surfaced again in Thailand. If it becomes a reality, a land bridge could cut shipping times by about two days, compared with ...

To mark the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the World Bank is publishing a Country Environmental Analysis for the Lao PDR, analyzing how the country can use its commitment to greener growth to stimulate economic recovery from the current slowdown, and to improve ...

The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) at a meeting today approved incentives to encourage companies to reduce greenhouse gas emission as well as an enhanced scheme for electric vehicles and measures to mitigate COVID-19 impacts and support local vaccine development, Ms Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary General of the BOI, ...

The Lao economy is on course for moderately improved growth in 2021, despite the second wave of COVID-19 denting the promising economic recovery made early in the year. The World Bank’s latest Economic Monitor for Lao PDR — A Path to Recovery — predicts that GDP growth ...

Thailand has launched a pilot program to test, vaccinate and isolate factory workers to limit Covid-related disruptions to its export-driven manufacturing industry, one of the few bright spots in an economy crushed by the virus.  The “Factory Sandbox” initiative aims to protect 3 million jobs and ...

Some of the world’s biggest financial institutions are working on a plan to speed the closure of coal-fired power plants in Asia, the BBC has been told. The initiative was developed by UK insurer Prudential, is being driven by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and includes ...

Japan and other Mekong countries have expressed support for Cambodia’s initiative to establish a joint working group on the Mekong-Japan Economic Recovery Scenarios, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation following their latest meeting on August 6. The ...