News
State, private and foreign banks to compete for SOE clients
Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...
Myanmar fishing slaves in Indonesia to go home, ‘tip of the iceberg’
A final group of 24 fishing boat slaves is preparing to return home to Burma this week from Indonesia, aid workers said at a trafficking meeting in Bali, one of them calling the 1,200 slaves repatriated since last year the “tip of the iceberg.” Keep reading ...
Plan aims to rebuild silk sector
With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...
Water supply distribution to expand in Vientiane
The Lao government has set a water connection rate goal for Vientiane of 90 percent by 2020, while the current rate remains at around 80 percent and the existing water treatment plants already operate at overload capacity. The water distribution network is also inadequate, resulting ...
National bank ups cash reserve requirements
The National Bank of Cambodia has doubled the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks and significantly raised the requirements for microfinance institutions in a move experts say will protect and consolidate the country’s banking sector. Capital requirements are used by central banks worldwide to ensure ...
Vietnam seeks private investment for $721 million highway
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to attract private investment for a highway project in the Mekong Delta with a cost estimate of VND16.34 trillion (US$721 million), the government office said on on 23 March. Keep reading ...
Thailand to go it alone on Thai-Sino high-speed rail
Thailand has decided to wholly invest in the Thai-Sino railway project after it failed to agree in talks with China on the terms of the arrangement which has set back progress for months. Keep reading ...
Vietnam aviation market may suffer losses in the medium term
According to the Center of Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), the domestic aviation market of Vietnam will suffer losses in the medium term, when the average fares fall because of competition. Keep Reading ...
Cashew prices reach highest in a decade
The local cashew industry has seen a spike in cashew prices, marking a 10 year record high, mostly due to increasing global prices. Keep reading ...
Drought hits district in Mondulkiri
Up to 4,000 mostly ethnic minority people in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima district are facing a water shortage after the local supplier announced service would be suspended due to impending wide scale drought. The announcement, issued by the Bor Poch water company, called on residents to conserve ...
