Business partnerships through merger and acquisition, joint-ventures or strategic alliances will be a driver for business expansion in Myanmar going forward into 2015, said Managing Partner of KPMG in Myanmar Yasuhide Fujii.
“Opportunities in Myanmar are increasing for business, but so is competition. Looking forward, some local firms may feel the pinch as international companies move in on their turf,” said Fujii.
“We’re starting to see cases where it would make more business sense for local and international firms to work together and complement each other, instead of competing, in order to become sustainable in the long term. Local and international firms in Myanmar each have their distinct strengths. We could see some positive partnerships down the road.”
KPMG, the first among the “Big Four” that officially re-entered Myanmar after the easing of international sanctions, has assisted a number of international clients to successfully set up businesses in the once-closed economy.
The auditing giant said the government is continuing to apply its best efforts in reforming the legal system following the enactment of the Foreign Investment Law in 2012. At the very beginning of this year, the government enacted the Special Economic Zone law which grants income tax exemptions for 7 years and 5 years to businesses in the free zone and the promotion zone respectively.
Other important bills have been proposed, including amendments to the land laws, the foreign investment law, the Small Medium Enterprises Development bill, the Condominium bill, an amendment to the Mining Law.
“We are well aware of the pace of change in Myanmar. One way that we can help the business community is by holding The KPMG Myanmar Business Forum on a quarterly basis to keep business people up to date about what’s going on, what to look forward to and how to deal with the challenges in Myanmar,” said Fujii at KPMG’s third Myanmar Business Forum
The forum discussed on key points for doing business in Myanmar through merger and acquisition, joint-ventures and strategic alliances. The panel discussion featured businesspeople with experience of the trends relating to their business activities in Myanmar.
“The KPMG Myanmar Business Forum attracts both local and foreign business people who come together to share ideas and experiences. The business environment in Myanmar is changing very fast and we are keen to play our part in equipping business leaders with knowledge that will help them navigate the evolving business environment,” added Fujii.
