Myanmar was once embraced as Asia’s last frontier market, but the military coup and continuing conflict have fundamentally changed the risks facing investors.
In a commentary for The Business Times, “Can capital trust Myanmar again?,” SIIA Chairman Simon Tay considers what it would take to rebuild investor confidence in Myanmar. He argues that ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus can provide a basis for practical and realistic benchmarks for progress, including reduced violence, better humanitarian access and some reopening of political space.
“ASEAN should also make clear that verified progress can lead to proportionate increases in representation, engagement and, over time, economic normalisation,” he writes. “Such steps would not certify Myanmar as safe, but they could signal the start of positive change.”
While Min Aung Hlaing has invited investors to return, Mr. Tay argues that investment will depend on credible signs of stability and genuine progress, as well as greater confidence that contracts, licences and rules can be relied upon.
Read the full commentary: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/can-capital-trust-myanmar-again
