Myanmar

Recent reforms in the sector are beginning to take off and to address the low levels of lending and banking recorded in the country in 2011. Foreign banks are lining up at the country’s doorstep to tap into this potentially major market in the heart of South-east Asia. Since April 2011 and the shift in government policy, banks have started to...

As Myanmar moves to catch up with rapid industrialisation, the real estate sector has an important role to play in accommodating an expected wave of migration to urban centres. The pressure will be intense on Yangon, the business capital and primary port.

Myanmar can learn a lot from pulses. In fact, output has grown exceptionally fast over the past two decades. This is mostly as a result of fewer strict state controls, and farmers being allowed to plant, harvest and sell them freely. In many ways, the history of pulses, in particular beans, goes a long way to showing that heavy-handed...

As demand for quality space in Yangon has multiplied since the lifting of sanctions, Myanmar’s construction industry has come under intense pressure to raise its standards and technical know-how. Local construction materials, equipment, expertise, workmanship, and safety of worksites and occupied buildings are all behind international standards...

International observers and Myanmar’s government accept that to unlock the country’s potential, both the public and private sectors must embrace digital technology. Yet the state may take longer to adapt than the market-driven private sector in the coming years.

Myanmar was the economic frontier highlight of 2013, and has swept the international press with its bold reformation goals and political transformation. However, given that there are few historical examples of foreign firms operating in the country, international investors are still wary of making large commitments.