In preparation for the launch of the new electronic companies’ registry system, Myanmar Companies Online (“MyCO”), the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (“DICA”) is preparing a set of prescribed forms to collect the information required to be submitted to the Companies Registrar under the Myanmar Companies Law 2017 (“MCL”). In order to raise public […]

Cambodia’s regulatory framework in the area of alternative dispute resolution has developed considerably. In the last few years, Cambodia has seen the first foreign arbitral award successfully enforced by the Cambodian courts and has also seen the first completion of domestic commercial arbitration cases. These developments have given investors, both foreign and local, increased confidence […]

The National Committee for The Minimum Wage (the “Committee”) publicized a Notification on 2 January 2018 in which a new minimum wage of MM4,800 per day, calculated at a rate of MMK600 per hour, was proposed. In relation to the previous effective Minimum Wage (MMK3,600 per day / MMK450 per hour), this represents an increase […]

Re-register or be ceased! Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (“DICA”) has issued a draft of the Companies Regulations 2018 called Myanmar Companies (Electronic Registry System and Miscellaneous Matters) Regulations 2018 (“Regulation”) with a commencement date of 1 August 2018. The Regulation is a continuation of the Myanmar Companies Law issued in 2017 and is […]

Further to its Notice No. 012/18 dated 29 March 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued Notice No. 016/18 dated 25 April 2018 (“Notice 016”) to further extend the deadline to apply for renewal of foreign employees’ work permits. According to Notice 016, the previous deadline of 30 April 2018 is extended […]

On 7 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding the filing of business association statutes. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with the government authorities, all business associations must file their statutes with the MOC. The filing must include their statutes as […]

Good news for corporate entities that have not yet renewed the 2018 work permits for their foreign employees with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”).On 29 March 2018, the MLVT issued Notice No. 012/18, extending the previous deadline of 30 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 to give employers more time to renew […]

Commercial Law – Filing Statute of Business Associations On 07 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding filing statutes of business associations. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with government authorities, all business associations, including foreign chambers of commerce, must file their […]

As part of ongoing efforts to strictly enforce work permit requirements, following a notice from the Office of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) and the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued a joint Prakas (No. 719 Br.K) dated 19 February 2018 (“Joint Prakas 719”) on the enforcement of foreign […]

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) has just issued what we were told is their first ever Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). The ECC is in a letter format and confirms that the applicant’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is in compliance with the requirements of the Law on Environmental Conservation (LEC). It […]

The Union Government of Myanmar has issued an updated list of members for the Myanmar Investment Commission. This list is in effect starting from 18 January 2018. There are only a few changes compared to the previous list of members. Please see the list below. 1 Chairman U Kyaw Win Union Minister Ministry of Planning […]

Good news for corporate entities that have not yet completed their online re-registration with the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”). With its issuance of Notice No. 0281 dated 22 December 2017, the MOC has extended the previous deadline of 31 December 2017 to 31 December 2018 to give companies more time to comply with the regulations. […]

The National Minimum Wage Determination Committee issued Notification 2/2015 on 28 August 2015 in which the Stipulation of Minimum Wage was announced at MMK3,600 (US$2.80) per day, calculated at a rate of MMK450 (US$0.35) per hour. Due to the increasing cost of living as well as country development, workers in Myanmar have been requesting an […]

MIC has issued an invitation welcoming foreign and Myanmar citizen investors to invest in Logistics Services at the major cities of logistics and trading hub. The sectors of investment  included in the invitation are Dry Port Services, Bonded Warehouse Services, High-way Bus and Freight Terminals and Warehouses & Wholesale Centers. It is also written that […]

Myanmar has precious little regulation governing Government tenders, but what it does have, has just been revamped and enlarged. Presidential Notification 1/2017 dated 10 April 2017 (the Notification) has reset and strengthened rules on certain types of Government procurement. Highlights of this note To which tenders does the Notification apply? Is a tender obligatory in […]

The protection of industrial design is concerned with safeguarding the visual aspects of your products, as opposed to its functional properties, from unlicensed use. Conceptually, industrial design protection has been in the statute books since the Design and Patents Act 1945 (the “1945 Act”). However, despite the 1945 Act legislating for a controller of patents and […]

Insurance, Finance and Trading Poised for Acquisitions in the Wake of the New Companies Law Myanmar’s economy is already quite open to foreign investment, but the few areas previously entirely closed to foreign ownership have just – nearly all- been opened as well. The new Companies Law 2017 allows, as the reader will by now […]

Foreign investments in the media sector have not been active in Myanmar this year. One of the probable reason could be the lack of clarify over foreign ownership in this sector. In this brief we analyze the restriction over foreign ownership according to the laws and requirements from the particular authorities in Myanmar. Highlights Broadcasting […]

The National Assembly has passed Myanmar Companies Law (the “MCL”) after extensive debate on various aspects of Myanmar’s long awaited corporate reform. The Law is finally here, passed on 23 November, pending signing into law by the President. Key areas which were hotly debated in recent weeks included the highly contentious question of whether small […]

In our previous client briefing note, we outlined five key things to look forward to under the Myanmar Companies Law (“MCL”). Following on from this, and as part of our continued coverage of the MCL, we will outline five potential drawbacks with regard to the MCL and how they may affect companies in practice. 1. […]