Title Financing Small and Medium Enterprises in Myanmar Author(s ...

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inadequate skill to prepare comprehensive and viable business plans are demand-side problems coming from SMEs. These can be regarded as demand-side problems. Unfriendly and time-consuming procedures to process loan applications that are strictly controlled by monetary authorities and failure to adopt flexible and modern credit assessment methods and techniques come from the supply side. Other systemic and institutional issues, such as macroeconomic management and well-defined lending infrastructures, also affect the ability to finance SMEs in these countries. Having recognized the problems and constraints in financing SMEs, ASEAN countries, especially Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have implemented various policy measures to enhance credit availability for their SMEs. They attempt to reform their present system of financing in all aspects. Singapore is significantly leading all other nations in the region in financing SMEs. The previously mentioned problems and constraints are more or less common in all ASEAN countries. However, CLMV lag behind their counterparts in all aspects of lending infrastructures and institutional frameworks that pose significant barriers for effective financing. Financing frameworks are extremely in short supply in CLMV economies. As a result, SMEs face inadequacy of funding sources even though their contribution to national economies is very impressive. Almost every research on SMEs indicates financing as one of the top problems this sector is facing. Such financing problem retards SMEs competitiveness and further development. SMEs in Myanmar are not exempted from this situation. Myanmar has its own special financing problems, such as tight collateral requirement (only real estate), limitation of loan amount based on appraised value of collateral property (up to 40 percent), unavailability of long-term loans from the banks, and lack of international funding agencies that provide financial assistance to SMEs. If Myanmar wants to set up a nationwide SME development program to sharpen the competitiveness of its indigenous SMEs and consequently narrow the development gap between Myanmar and leading countries within the ASEAN family, it has to address this serious financing issue first. This research is conducted with the following objectives: (1) to discuss the role of SMEs in industrialization and economic development; (2) to present various problems and constraints that SMEs in Myanmar have to contend with; (3) to address the financing SMEs problems and their related causes; and (4) to propose ways to cope with these problems by offering suggestions that are relevant to Myanmar context.
Ⅱ. IMPORTANCE OF SMES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT In any nation, SMEs play very important role in its economic activities. They represent over 90 percent of enterprises and account for 50 percent to 60 percent of employment in the world. In least-developed countries (LDCs), their role is considered even more important, since they offer the only realistic prospects to increase employment and value added. 5 Many LDCs provide employment opportunities for the majority of population who live under the poverty line, so SMEs contribute not only economic but also social benefits by reducing crime rate and alleviating poverty. Industrial development was earlier believed to have occurred because of large enterprises. However, starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s, SMEs have become perceived as the key agent for industrialization. SMEs, which usually operate in the formal sector of the economy, are a very heterogeneous group of businesses usually operating in the agribusiness, service, trading and manufacturing sectors. They may include a wide variety of companies from traditional, small, and family-owned enterprises to dynamic, innovative and growth-oriented enterprises 6 . If they are given proper opportunity, they have a great potential to become large businesses. Most large business corporations in today’s world economy, such as Microsoft, Vodafone, HP, internet search engine Google, and online bookstore Amazon.com, started as small businesses from the exciting ideas of young entrepreneurs. When the large but inefficient state-owned enterprises failed, small and more efficient private entities started to emerge as shown in the cases of East Europe countries. A rapidly growing number of SMEs offered solution to the unemployment problem in these transitional economies. The growth of SMEs is synonymous with the growth of private sector, since SMEs represent larger number of businesses in the private sector. The development of entrepreneurship spirit is highly associated with the development of SMEs, as these are formed and run by entrepreneurs. Due to their private-ownership nature, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to adapt to the ever-changing environment, they contribute to sustainable growth and employment generation in a significant manner. The strategic importance of SMEs is acknowledged around the world for the 5 N. Suzuki, SME development (Excerpt from the UNIDO paper for GOIC conference), May 2001 6 Edit Lukacs, The economic role of SMEs in world economy, especially in Europe, Institute of Business Sciences, University of Miskolc, Hungary
Page 1 and 2: TitleFinancing Small and Medium Ent
Page 3 and 4: lending infrastructure of the count
Page 6 and 7: Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION The availability
Page 10 and 11: following reasons 7 : • SMEs cont
Page 12 and 13: Ⅲ. BACKGROUND OF SMES IN MYANMAR
Page 14 and 15: to limit the issuance of licenses t
Page 16 and 17: Notwithstanding their sheer number,
Page 18 and 19: Enterprise Law provides for the off
Page 20 and 21: The timing of this surge in constru
Page 22 and 23: Ⅴ. CURRENT STATE OF SMES IN MYANM
Page 24 and 25: percent in 1999, 94.6 percent in 20
Page 26 and 27: production is limited by power shor
Page 28 and 29: companies. Problems in infrastructu
Page 30 and 31: Figure 1 A Suggested Comprehensive
Page 32 and 33: Moreover, developing countries can
Page 34 and 35: startup and expansion. Most of the
Page 36 and 37: anks with other necessary documents
Page 38 and 39: collateral, but these may go up to
Page 40 and 41: usiness decision making keep them f
Page 42 and 43: SMEs. Limited deposits and unstable
Page 44 and 45: can explain why lending technologie
Page 46 and 47: Figure 2 Present Pattern of Domesti
Page 48 and 49: There are some additional lending p
Page 50 and 51: Figure 4 Regional/Community Funds f
Page 52 and 53: Developmental financial institution
Page 54 and 55: Table 5 Percentages of Secure SME L
Page 56 and 57: (gray or black markets) 79 . In Vie
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To provide credit insurance and cre
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Figure 6: Three Systems of Financia
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Ⅷ . PPROPOSALS AND SUGGESTIONS FO
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Policy on financial sector developm
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in systematic manner, nationwide an
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Myanmar Investment and Commercial B
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Legal, judicial, and bankruptcy env
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capacity in the country. The securi
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means Myanmar needs to adopt a resc
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7. Htein, Lynn. 2004. “Linkage be
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www.myanmar.com/myanmartimes/Myanma
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APPENDICES Appendix I- Definitions
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The Lao PDR Small Less than 19 Less
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Myanmar Agriculture Development Ban
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from relatives and private money le
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The Institute of Developing Economi
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