Myanmar

Alibaba and Tencent operate directly in only a few countries in Southeast Asia, but they currently back at least 11 digital payment brands or e-wallets in six nations in the region.
DealStreetAsia

Alibaba and Tencent cash in on Southeast Asia e-payments boom

Report shows Chinese groups' proxy war by funding local players is accelerating

26 June 2020
Wave Money will focus on an app started in 2018 for paying bills and making online purchases, tapping the expertise of Alipay. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business deals

Yoma to buy control of Myanmar e-payment venture Wave Money

$75m deal brings Alipay operator on board to expand app services

25 June 2020
A decommissioned train at Naypyitaw Station. (Peter Janssen)
Life

Green light for Southeast Asia's old railways

Renovating existing tracks is quicker and cheaper than building high-speed lines

22 June 2020
A wooden boat carries suspected Rohingya migrants detained in Malaysian territorial waters off the island of Langkawi on Apr. 5: their ordeal has lasted months and shows no sign of ending.
Opinion

COVID-19 is no excuse for rejecting Rohingya migrants

Asia must use the Bali Process to treat those fleeing on boats humanely

20 June 2020
A prehistoric insect fossilized in amber maintains its shape. (Courtesy of the Myanmar Amber Museum)
Southeast Asia

Myanmar amber traps scientists in ethical dilemma over funding war

Fossils like those in 'Jurassic Park' draw scrutiny as Kachin conflict drags on

8 June 2020
Soldiers take part in a military parade to mark the Armed Forces Day in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw on March 27.
Food & Beverage

Kirin to probe Myanmar partner over army funding allegations

Japanese brewer hires Deloitte for audit of Myanma Economic Holdings

6 June 2020
People cover their faces as a neighborhood in Jakarta is sprayed with insecticide to kill mosquitoes, which carry dengue fever, on March 23.
Coronavirus

Dengue complicates Southeast Asia's coronavirus fight

Tropical disease presents health care systems in region with a two-front war

27 May 2020
Suu Kyi opened the new Facebook account on April 1 and has posted messages about COVID-19 almost every day. (Nikkei photo illustration/Source photo by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Suu Kyi's Facebook surge reveals fragility of Myanmar democracy

Ruling party primed for election but cannot rely on leader's charisma forever

26 May 2020
Thailand is one of a number of Southeast Asian countries that will be looking at a "new normal" as the country reopens amid the ebbing coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Video: Bangkok, Hanoi and Yangon are up after coronavirus shutdown

Restaurants and shopping malls reopen, but with a 'new normal' in place

21 May 2020
A customer uses the Wave Money service at a participating store in Myanmar. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
China tech

Alibaba fintech arm invests $73m in Myanmar's Digital Money

Alipay joins local player Yoma and Norway's Telenor to reach the country's unbanked

19 May 2020
A banner of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping in Belgrade, Serbia, pictured on May 11: more than 100 countries have received China's anti-virus overtures with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Opinion

China wants to know if you are with it or against it

Beijing has divided world with coronavirus policies, making countries take sides

16 May 2020
Engineers test the Philippines' second satellite, Diwata-2, in 2018. (Photo provided by Hokkaido University and Tohoku University)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Myanmar to launch its first satellite in 2021 with Japan's help

Monitoring from space will help improve agriculture and disaster response

11 May 2020
Kochi Marutaka, an infrastructure builder based in Kochi, Japan, has impressed potential clients in Asia with projects such as widening a 380 meter stretch of road in a mountainous region in Pakistan.
Engineering & Construction

Japanese builder's methods mean faster, cheaper bridges in Asia

Kochi Marutaka puts up infrastructure in mountainous areas, drawing limelight

10 May 2020
A branch of Yoma Bank in Yangon: The bank is part of the revenue-producing finance unit of First Myanmar Investment.
Finance

Yoma Bank sets the pace as Myanmar's banking sector opens up

Financial deregulation attracts investors from Southeast Asia and beyond

5 May 2020
Construction on a high-speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung has ground to a halt due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
Belt and Road

Southeast Asia rail projects stall as China focuses on recovery

Belt and Road construction takes a back seat amid coronavirus rebuild

5 May 2020
The singing duo of Ayaka Hirahara, left, and Win Morisaki has reached the top of the weekly Myanmar hit chart released by the Joox music streaming service. They are shown performing in Yangon in February.
Media & Entertainment

Tencent dominates Myanmar's booming music streaming scene

Chinese provider's Joox service wins fans with local songs and flexible payments

4 May 2020
People sleep on benches at Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok on Apr. 3: the urban poor are at risk, living in overcrowded spaces.
Opinion

Governments facing tough choices in COVID-19 crisis: World Bank VP

Countries in East Asia and Pacific must expand effective programs for poverty relief

27 April 2020
The BBC Thai Service recorded nearly 60% audience growth in 2019, and is seeing a further upswing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Media & Entertainment

BBC Thai Service boosts audience in dark times

Digital service covers COVID-19 with international perspective to capture younger demographic

26 April 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong can learn lessons from the way South Korean President Moon Jae-in's government handled the coronavirus outbreak. (Nikkei Montage/Reuters) 
Politics

South Korean landslide changes Japan and Singapore election math

Abe, Lee and other leaders face judgment over coronavirus performance

24 April 2020
Myanmar's military is deploying personnel and donating pay toward the coronavirus fight.
Politics

Myanmar's generals take center stage in coronavirus battle

Suu Kyi's civilian government overshadowed by active military response to pandemic

22 April 2020
Competition in Myanmar's banking sector is expected to intensify as more foreign banks enter the country. (Photo  by Yuichi Nitta)
Finance

Myanmar allows Korean and Thai banks' entry to boost investment

KB Kookmin, Siam Commercial and other banks to begin operating by early 2021

16 April 2020
Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces election in November.
Politics

Suu Kyi bets on coronavirus stimulus with little room for error

In election year, a fifth of Myanmar's garment industry is at a standstill

13 April 2020
Chinese automakers want a larger slice of Myanmar's booming vehicle market, which is now dominated by Japanese companies.
Automobiles

Chinese automakers move into Myanmar to battle Japanese rivals

Soueast Motor and GAC take advantage of rules favoring locally made vehicles

12 April 2020
Garment workers in Vietnam and elsewhere across Southeast Asia face an uncertain future as the coronavirus outbreak batters global demand for clothing. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Business Spotlight

Coronavirus pandemic tears holes in Asia's garment industry

Massive job losses and GDP cuts in store as H&M and other brands halt orders

3 April 2020
Aeon is teaming with Shwe Taung, parent of Myanmar's top mall operator, with an eye toward the country's growing middle class. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Retail

Japan's top retailer Aeon to open mall in Myanmar by 2023

Group extends pivot to Southeast Asia with joint venture

3 April 2020