The Myanmar government has reconvened the National Minimum Wage Committee with new members in the interest of reevaluating the minimum wage rate. The committee is comprised of economic advisors, representatives of government ministries, labor and employer organizations and is chaired by Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population, Than Swe. The committee aims to establish a […]

Myanmar may be on the verge of a completely new energy landscape offering exciting opportunities for international investors. In coming months, a new energy master plan is expected to be revealed for the Yangon Region – which accounts for almost half of all electricity produced across the country. Highlights of this note Evolution of the […]

In a move to expand the potential opportunities for foreign investors, the list of activities a foreign investor is allowed to carry out in Myanmar only under a joint venture (“JV”) with a Myanmar citizen or company, has been cut significantly. Highlights of this note Big Winners are Retail, Petroleum Products, Real Estate, Media and […]

VDB Loi has worked on nearly 4,000 Megawatts worth of Myanmar power projects, some now in operation, some awaiting financial close, but most remain in various stages of approval. We have also assisted the Ministry of Electricity and Energy with many of its transactions and privatizations. However, in the last 12-month period, since 1 April […]

On Friday March 31st 2017 the VDB Loi and Latham & Watkins hosted an event entitled “Government Guarantees for Public Private Projects in Myanmar” in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. In attendance were H.E. Kyaw Win, Union Minister of Planning and Finance, U Aung Nai Oo, Director General DICA, U Win Khant, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Planning […]

JOI and JBIC Supported VDB Loi Workshop in Tokyo Discusses Upcoming Energy and Infrastructure Deal Pipeline On 15 March, VDB Loi’s Edwin Vanderbruggen and Satoshi Mitsukuri presented a uniquely practical update on Myanmar energy and infrastructure projects. The briefing was sponsored by the Japan Institute for Overseas Investment (“JOI”) and supported by the Japan Bank […]

Myanmar currently has a number of coastline ports, with Yangon being the main port city in the country, handling about 85% of Myanmar’s import and export volume. Ports also see the development of major processing and manufacturing projects around them and the Government is setting Special Economic Zones (SEZ) along some of them (namely Thilawa, […]

The Myanma Railways (“MR”) under the Ministry of Transport and Communications (“MOTC”), announced on February 10 2017 a new Expression of Interest (“EOI”) for an optical fiber cable installation along railway tracks.This is the third phase of the MR project that intends to lay optical fiber cables along various railway lines across Myanmar. The deadline […]

Just letting you know that a new Draft Union Tax Law in Myanmar has been released proposing an 8% Special Goods Tax (SGT) on import, sale and export of LNG. SGT was introduced in 2016 with the enactment of Special Goods Tax Law effective starting from 1 April 2016 (FY2016-2017). SGT rates will be announced […]

Slowly but surely, experience is building up with respect to project finance and international corporate finance for companies and projects in Myanmar. With the many different deals that we have completed, we prepared a quick overview of the key things to know. We also touch upon some of the remaining hot issues. Highlights of this […]

Welcome to VDB Loi’s CLMV Power Update! Highlights of this issue: Ten things to know about power in Myanmar A practical perspective on foreign financing transactions in Myanmar Key economic terms of Myanmar PPAs Kayah state offers opportunities Land acquisition problems facing IPP investors in Myanmar Myanmar IPPs in search of Terra Firma Salient features […]