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The impact of Covid-19 on companies worldwide will remain visible and tangible in the long term. The resulting crisis has shaken and challenged established structures. Business leaders in Southeast Asia expect a more U-shaped recovery, with a period of slower economic activity likely to continue into 2021.
Executives are now focused on not only successfully navigating their companies through the pandemic, but also setting the right course for the time after. This may involve the transformation or reshaping of individual industries where demand is likely to pick up again, but not without a sustained adaptation of operations and business models to the changed environment. Reorganising and restructuring global supply chains, driving digital transformation and accelerating automation, and effectively managing the workforce are just some of the key issues that need to be focused on.
However, this slowdown in economic operations can also be used as an opportunity to consolidate business units and recalibrate the entrepreneurial focus. This may include, for example, divesting non-core investments or assets in order to focus on acquisitions with a long-term perspective. Our „Themenspecial” looks at the individual markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam on the basis of the business climate for M&A transactions.
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Since his first office term, President Joko Widodo has been initiating various regulatory reforms and deregulation policies targeting legal complexities and bureaucratic hurdles, which showed some positive impact on the M&A market in Indonesia. More »
The ongoing increase of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia since March 2020 raises concerns for everyone in the country and has been affecting numerous parts of business. Many companies in Indonesia are now working remotely and facing difficulties in executing documents or dealing with filing formalities. More »
Malaysia has shown an impressive economic growth since the 1990s; recent (pre-covid) growth rates of 4 to 5 per cent show that the country has by now developed a more mature economy of a considerable size. Together with Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia it is one of the leaders in the ASEAN region. More »
Though Myanmar has been opening up to the world since the end of 2010 with a transitional process from military rule towards a parliamentary democracy and an open economy to be observed, latest developments unfortunately point into a different direction. More »
Singapore’s role as investment and finance hub in the Asia-Pacific region is also reflected in its important role in M&A transactions in the region. The city state’s sound and predictable legal system as well as other factors make it an interesting place for M&A activities. More »
Singapore has been recognised as an international hub and a prime gateway to investing in Southeast Asia. A Singapore company holding businesses in the region can be advantageous to the group of companies as a whole and can be used for M&A deals or a company re-organisation. More »
Thailand’s M&A year 2020 started reasonably solid, with some significant transactions in real estate, infrastructure and construction, energy, as well as food and beverages. Then, the developing Covid-19 crisis impacted investor confidence, and we saw shallow M&A activity during the summer. More »
The transition from a centrally planned economy to an opened market, socialist-oriented economy thanks to the Doi Moi economic and political reform in 1986, has fueled an impressive growth with rising economic indicators in Vietnam. More »
The economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic differ between industries, and in many cases the final bill has yet to come. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, disruption in supply chains and changes in consumer behaviour might take their toll and require businesses to adapt. More »
Jürgen Baur
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