TODAY

Standard Chartered Bank has officially re-opened its representative office in Yangon, Myanmar. Ms Tina Singhsacha is the Chief Representative for the Bank’s Representative Office in Yangon. The following is the interview with Ms.Tina Singhsacha.

What is your plan for Myanmar?

The opening of our representative office in Yangon re-establishes our presence in a country that we have had a history with for over 150 years. The representative office will focus on providing support to global network clients interested in Myanmar across our footprint of Asia, Africa and the Middle-East.

What do you think of Myanmar’s com-petitiveness and uniqueness?

Myanmar has a number of favourable endownments, including a large population, rich natural resources and a pragmatic leadership. Public and private institutions appear to be able to move together in close co-ordination. The country is not landlocked and is situated in a geopolitically strategic and high-growth region. Given time we believe that Myanmar has the potential to become one of the key economies in the ASEAN region.

What are your challenges in doing business in Myanmar?

As a representative office, we cannot undertake business in Myanmar at this time. We will only be able to gather information and share insights with our existing international Wholesale Banking clients who are interested in exploring opportunities in Myanmar.

How imporatant are banking services to undeveloped countries?

As a Bank that has deep roots and a long  history in the ASEAN region, we understand the important role that banks can play in supporting sustainable economic growth in developing countries. We believe that as a bank we should aim to be a positive force in fostering sustainable economic development. Our brand promise, Here for good, underlines out distinctive approach. In Myanmar’s case, we believe the best way of ensuring economic development is to support the country’s efforts to re-integrate into the international community. This will not only boost economic growth but also strengthen Myanmar’s capacity for social development and employment.

Do you have a CSR programme for Myanmar?

At Standard Chartered we believe that our long-term success is dependent on healthy eco-nomies, where societies flourish. Our sustaina-bility strategy is centered on contributing to the economic development of the countries in which we operate, be nefiting society, protecting the environment and unholding high standards of governance. For Myanmar, we will explore all pillars of our community investment strategy, one of which is Seeing is Believing, our global programme that seeks to combat preventable blindness.

How many employees does SC have worldwide? And in Myanmar?

Standard Chartered is a leading interna-tional banking group with, 17000 offices in 70 markets. We employ around 87,000  people around the world. For the time being, we will have a small team in place to operate our representative office.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Myanmar banks from your point of view?

It is fair to say that Myanmar’s banking sector is not as advanced as some of its neigh-bours. We are in the process of learning more about the country’s plans for the banking sector and assessing how we may able to best play a role in supporting those efforts. However one thing we believe that can help strengthen confidence in the backing system here is to have the Central Bank of Myanmar become independent, which we note is something the Government is already exploring.

Let me know the Standard Chartered Bank’s address ?

Centrepoint Tower at the intersection of Sule Pagoda Road and Merchant Road. For more information please visit www.standard-chartered.com      Biography in breif

Work Experience

1995                      Management trainee at HSBC

1999                      Management Consultant at Bain & Company

2001                      True Corporation at Thailand

2007                      joined Standard Chartered Bank

2008                      Business Planning Manager, Singapore

2011                      Chief of Staff of the Regional CEO

2013                      Chief Representative, Myanmar

Education Background

Bachelor of Commerce, New South Wales, Sydney Australia

MBA, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.