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GH BANK WILL ALSO WAIVE FEES FOR SONGKRAN
The Government Housing Bank will waive fees for ATM cash withdrawals and deposits during the Songkran Festival, from today until April 17, said Chatchai Sirilai, senior executive vice president and acting president of the bank.
He said GH Bank should fall in line with the government’s policy on enhancing domestic tourism and higher spending during Songkran with the waiving of fees for cash withdrawals from same-bank ATMs and for cash deposits from same-bank cash deposit machines.
Earlier, commercial banks had announced fee waivers on the same transactions during the period.
INITIATIVE TO CONNECT US, ASEAN ENTREPRENEURS
The recently established United States-Asean Connect initiative will allow more businesses from the US and Asean to learn more about trade opportunities under the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Asean Economic Community, a senior US diplomat said recently.
In an interview with the media, Colin Willett, the US State Department’s deputy assistant secretary in the East Asia and Pacific Bureau, said the US-led initiative put together a “whole of government” approach to economic engagement for businesses from both sides.
“This will give US businesses more centralised information about Asean and provide them access to US assistance to Asean.
“But it also gives Asean a place to learn more about the US not just in terms of investment but in areas such as export financing and insurance,” he said in Brunei.
Asean is the United States’ fourth-largest export market, creating and supporting more than 472,000 jobs in the US. – The Brunei Times
INDEX LIVING MALL OPENS SECOND VN STORE
Thailand-based home-furnishing retailer Index Living Mall opened its second franchised store in Vietnam this week, this one in Hanoi.
The store covers an area of more than 5,000 square metres, divided into separate shopping areas such as home d?cor, kitchenware, and bedroom, living-room and children’s furniture. In addition, a “same price” area featuring hundreds of household products adds another shopping option for customers.
In January, the first Index Living Mall in Vietnam was opened by the Vietnamese franchisee VinDS in Ho Chi Minh City’s Vincom Mega Mall Thao Dien. The mall occupies 7,000sqm of retail space. – Viet Nam News
INVESTMENTS ‘TO POUR INTO MALAYSIA’
Malaysia aims to attract 40 billion ringgit (Bt360 billion) worth of investments from the manufacturing and services sectors this year.
Azman Mahmud, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, said that about 800 million ringgit of that would be for the medical-device segment.
“For the first quarter of the year, we have approved 651 million ringgit [worth of] investments for the medical sector, compared [with] 194.7 million ringgit achieved in the same period of 2015.
“The approved medical-device investments would create 1,610 job opportunities,” he said.
Azman said this after the groundbreaking ceremony of Boston Scientific’s new plant at the Batu Kawan Industrial Estate in Penang state.
The 40 billion ringgit in investments will come mainly from the United States and Europe, according to Azman. – The Star, Malaysia
