Economy and commerce
Small and medium enterprises (SME)
UNDP, OECD present corruption solutions for ASEAN
In Southeast Asia, as everywhere else, Covid-19 has fundamentally disrupted business as usual. A damaging side-effect of the pandemic on companies in the region, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is the emergence of new corruption risks – the urgent demands of emergency procurement have ...
KANNI WIGNARAJA And JEFFREY SCHLAGENHAUF
World Bank provides emergency financing for small businesses
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors last week approved US$40 million in emergency finance support for small and medium-sized businesses in Laos to help them recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said in a press release. The funding will be channelled ...
Times Reporters
Farming of the Future
Innovative Thai start-ups are pushing technology to add value in agriculture and raise incomes Saraburi, a verdant central Thai province north of the capital, Bangkok, is known for spectacles like fields of sunflowers spreading beneath hills, and dragon fruit piled high like rubies at roadside stalls. ...
New $212m financing for climate-friendly projects in Vietnam
A new financing package of $212.5 million (£162m) has been announced to support climate-friendly projects in Vietnam. The funding from IFC, a member of the World Bank, will enable VPBank to expand its lending to small and medium businesses and boost financing for projects that help reduce carbon ...
Priyanka Shrestha
Mekong-Korea cooperation spearheads sustainable development
Ahead of the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit and ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit next year, the two sides can benefit together by tackling the development challenges of the future, according to a group of experts at the sixth Mekong-ROK Business Forum on Dec. 13 in Seoul. “Korea ...
APEC promotes integration of SMEs into global value chains
Good logistics management, both by governments and businesses, will help enhance competitiveness and growth, Lương Hoàng Thái, director general of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Multilateral Trade Policy, has said.Keep reading ...
E-commerce set to boom in Laos but no laws to regulate sector
The e-commerce market in Laos is set to take off amidst the rapid growth of internet penetration in the region but the country still does not have laws to regulate such activities, experts have noted. This has resulted in Laos losing out on the benefits ...
In ASEAN’s fastest-growing market, SME development barred by obstacles
Local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN’s fastest-growing market are unable to develop and grow because they are bogged down by a slew of bureaucratic and administrative difficulties, business leaders and politicians said.Read more ...
Japanese investment to bring jobs to nation's south
More Japanese investors are seeking to locate factories at Pakxe-Japan SME Specific Economic Zone in Champassak province in moves set to generate hundreds of jobs for Lao people. Approval of planned investments by the companies is expected between now and the end of this year, ...
VN needs policies to boost digital economy: experts
Việt Nam needs to raise policies to boost digital economy, a stimulator to generate added value and breakthroughs for sustainable development, experts have said.Keep reading ...
