Container ship sailing with sun in background

Maritime trade tops $17.3 bln as of 20 Aug

The value of Myanmar’s maritime trade over the ten months (1 October-20 August) of the current financial year 2020- 2021 sank to US$17.3 billion, which is a 25 per cent drop compared with the same corresponding period of last year. The figures plunged from $23.37 billion during the yearago period, according to the Ministry of Commerce. While maritime exports were valued at $7.2 billion, imports had registered at $10 billion. Compared to the same period in the 2019-2020 financial year, imports fell by $4 billion, while exports decreased to $2 billion. The maritime trade fell by $6.05 billion as of 20 August as against last year.

Meanwhile, the value of land border trade this FY was estimated at $8.79 billion, a decrease of $933 million as against a year-ago period. Myanmar witnessed a slump in exports and imports triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Both sea trade and border trade dropped amid the coronavirus impacts and the political changes. For maritime trade, disruption in the logistics sector and COVID-19 impact on global shipping scaled down Myanmar’s maritime trading somehow. The country’s total external trade over the past ten months touched a low of $26.1 billion, which plunged from $33 billion recorded in a year-ago period.

Myanmar’s sea trade generated $26 billion out of an overall trade value of $36 billion in the last FY2019-2020, the Ministry of Commerce’s statistics indicated. Myanmar exports agricultural products, fishery products, minerals, livestock, forest products, finished industrial goods, and other products, while it imports capital goods, consumer goods, and raw industrial materials. The country currently has nine ports involved in sea trade. Yangon Port is the main gateway for Myanmar’s maritime trade and includes the Yangon inner terminals and the outer Thilawa Port. Yangon inner terminal and the outer Thilawa Port received over 152 larger ships of above 30,000 DWT (Deadweight tonnage) in the past five months (February-June) this year after the draft limit is extended up to 10 metres with the new navigation channel accessing to inner Yangon River. Myanma Port Authority is ensuring smooth freight flow with non-stop operation during the public holidays.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Republic of the Union of Myanmar Central Bank of Myanmar

Notification No 33/2021
12th Waning of Wagaung 1383 ME
3 September 2021

  1. The Central Bank of Myanmar exercises the authority in sub-section (a) of Section 49 of the Foreign Exchange Management Law to issue this notification.
  2. According to Section 38-b, Section 42-a of the Foreign Exchange Management Law and paragraph 35 of the Foreign Exchange Management Regulation, exporters shall not fail to deposit all their export incomes in foreign exchange, during the stipulated period, in their bank accounts in the State.
  3. Exporters must sell their remaining export incomes in foreign exchange of their bank accounts to the authorized bank-AD licences within four months of the transfers without fail.
  4. This notification shall come into effect from the date of issue.

Than Nyein
Governor

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

DICA-sskm-1024x583

Number of companies registered on MyCO exceeds 4,230 in eight months: DICA

The number of companies registered on the online registry system, MyCO, reached over 4,230 in the past eight months this year, the statistics released by the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) indicated. The registration and re-registration of companies on the MyCO website commenced on 1 August 2018, in keeping with the Myanmar Companies Law 2017. During the January-August period, the number of registered companies on MyCO was 1,373 in January, 188 in February, 163 in March, 254 in April, 686 in May, 775 in June, 433 in July and 360 in August, the DICA’s statistics showed.

At present, 100 per cent of the applicants are using the online registration platform, the DICA stated. Last year, the figures of registered companies stood at 1,415 in January, 1,298 in February and 1,015 in March, only 348 companies in April, 798 in May, 1,314 in June, 1,650 in July, 1,551 in August, 1,378 in September, 1,693in October, 1,099 in November and 1,521 in December, as per statistics of the DICA. In 2019, the figure stood at 1,733 in January 2019, 1,419 in February, 1,108 in March, and over 1,045 in April, 1,411 in May, 1,307 in June, 1,428 in July, 1,302 in August and 1,181 in September. The figures reached a fresh new peak of 2,059 in October 2019.

Then, 1,615 new companies in November and 1,772 in December were recorded, data of the DICA showed. When the online registry was launched in August 2018, 1,816 new companies registered on MyCO. The figure stood at 2,218 in September 2018, 1,671 in October, 1,431 in November and 1,364 in December 2018. In addition, all registered companies need to file annual returns (AR) on the MyCO registry system within two months of incorporation, and at least once every year (not later than one month after the anniversary of the incorporation), according to Section 97 of the Myanmar Companies Law 2017.

According to Section 266 (A) of the Myanmar Companies Law 2017, public companies must submit annual returns and financial statements (G- 5) simultaneously. All overseas corporations must submit ARs in the prescribed format on MyCO within 28 days of the financial year ending, as per Section 53 (A-1) of the Myanmar Companies Law 2017. As per DICA’s report, more than 16,000 companies were suspended as of September-end 2020 for failing to submit AR forms within the due date.

Newly established companies are required to submit ARs within two months of incorporation or face a fine of K100,000 for late filing returns. The DICA has notified that any company which fails to submit its AR within 13 months will be notified of its suspension (I- 9A). If it fails to submit the AR within 28 days of receiving the notice, the system will show the company’s status as suspended. Companies can restore their status only after shelling out a fine of K50,000 for AR fee, K100,000 for restoration of the company on the Register, and K100,000 for late filing of documents. If a company fails to restore its status within six months of suspension, the registrar will strike its name off the register, according to the DICA notice.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar