IN 1997, the devaluation of the Thai baht marked the start of a crisis that decimated many Asian economies. By the end of 1998, Asean-5’s (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) gross domestic product was US$230 billion lower, setting the Asean economy back to 1992 levels. Today, it has been more than 20 years […]
Read MoreEVERYONE knows the proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. For too long personal finance has been a vehicle for the informal sector to prey on unsuspecting consumers by giving access to credit under predatory terms. In […]
Read MoreA COALITION of major tech companies have pledged to develop digital skills for the Asean workforce. The pledge, part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Digital Asean initiative, aims to train 20 million people in South-East Asia by 2020, especially those working in small- and medium-size enterprises. Other goals include raising US$2mil in contributions to provide scholarships for Asean technology students, […]
Read MoreCountries across Asean are experiencing rapid economic growth, and the associated improvements to the standard of living are conspicuous. Increasing trade means increasing wages — and wage growth is integral to the growth of regional economies. But maintaining a strong economy is a balancing act: if wage growth is too slow, the relative purchasing power […]
Read MoreSoutheast Asia has this month taken a groundbreaking step in developing its booming digital economy with an agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on facilitating cross-border e-commerce transactions. The idea is to ease restrictions on entrepreneurs in this fast-growing region. But the truth is that instead of assisting local tech businesses Southeast Asia […]
Read MoreTax incentives have played a vital role in multinational firms investing in Asean, but their effectiveness has been reduced for high-tech companies and those that already operate in the region, according to research conducted by a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s economics department. Tax holidays have a significant effect in attracting multinational companies to invest, particularly in […]
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Thailand
