Banking and financial services
Banking and financial services policy and regulation
Beware of illegal business ventures, central bank warns
The Bank of the Lao PDR has warned the public to be on the alert for individuals or companies that illegally convince people to deposit their money or buy shares in business schemes, lured by the promise of high returns or interest rates. The pledging ...
MPC ups GDP growth forecast, keeps policy rate
The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee revised up its forecast for this year’s economic growth to 3.4 per cent based on a further recovery of merchandise exports, while leaving the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent at its meeting on March 29. Jaturong ...
Airports urged to adopt constant supervision systems to prevent hacking
A constant supervision system installed at all airports and flight control centres and on airlines would help ensure security for Viet Nam’s aviation industry, experts have said. The country’s aviation industry has three independent information systems used by Vietnam Airlines, airports and flight control centres, but ...
MFIs seek regulator’s support
The apex body for the nation’s microfinance industry announced yesterday that the central bank had tentatively agreed to a number of measures it had requested to ease the burden on microfinance lenders following last week’s unilateral decision to cap annual interest rates at 18 percent ...
ASEAN finds free trade a tougher sell in today's environment
As the U.S. pulls back and China expands, Southeast Asia tries to adjust. People become aware of the divine power of a mantra only when they no longer hear it. People have been hearing world leaders inveigh against protectionism after official meetings for so long ...
Derivatives licensing capped by regulator
Cambodia’s capital market regulator announced on March 22 that it would suspend the issuance of new central counterparty licences to derivatives trading firms, claiming that capping the market at four was sufficient to serve current demand. The Securities Exchange Commission of Cambodia said in an ...
Cabinet backs credit boost for SMEs in Bt15 bn package
The cabinet on March 21 gave the nod to the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand to extend up to Bt15 billion in loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. The cabinet also approved plans for a major industrial estate development project in Sa Kaeo. “About ...
Govt seeks to regulate enterprises unlawfully raising capital
Proper investigation has been ordered into enterprises whose operations violate regulations and laws, notably those raising funds illegally from individuals for business operations, the government spokesman has said. The instruction was made at the government monthly meeting for March, which took place last week in ...
German bank to loan 23 million euro to power hundreds of villages in Shan State
Germany is giving Myanmar a Euro 23 million loan to supply electricity to 416 villages in southern Shan State, a Electricity and Energy Ministry official said. He that Germany had agreed to loan the funds totalling Euro 23.884 million, and the matter was now pending ...
Microlender in monster deal
Hong Kong financial giant, The Bank of East Asia and Sri Lanka’s LOLC announced on March 17 that they have jointly acquired a majority stake in Prasac Microfinance, Cambodia’s largest microfinance institution by assets, in what could be the largest acquisition of a Cambodian lender to ...
