Asia Economy

ETIQUETTE: In a formal setting “U” should be used in front of a name when addressing a man and “Daw” when addressing a woman, roughly translating to Mr and Lady. It is common practice to remove your footwear before entering someone’s workplace or home, but not always required. Removing shoes before...

Approved foreign investment in Myanmar has dropped off since the early years of economic liberalisation. The government now seeks to attract new inflows in an effort to boost exports and employment, reduce the trade deficit and diversify the production base.

Recent decades have seen a downward convergence in corporate tax regimes as advanced, emerging and developing economies moved to grab a bigger slice of the global investment pie. Headline corporate tax rates have fallen by 20 percentage points since the early 1980s. Alongside lower average rates, special tax incentives aimed at capturing...

Although they comprise 98% of businesses in Myanmar, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing a host of growth impediments as the process of economic liberalisation accelerates, including low levels of legal and financial inclusion, infrastructure deficits preventing businesses from fully capitalising on growth in domestic and...

Two years after State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi took up the reins of a civilian-led government in Myanmar, executives surveyed by Oxford Business Group remain broadly positive about the country’s outlook in spite of challenges and risks. Myanmar continues to enjoy inherent advantages that should allow it to remain the fastest-growing economy...

Myanmar continues to rank low on the World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” report, which measures the investment attractiveness of countries across 10 indicators. However, recent legislation, including the 2017 Investment Law, 2016 Arbitration Law and new anti-corruption measures, have paved the way for a sharp improvement, with the government...