Burma Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in burma, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
eCommerce
Last published date:

eCommerce may be a recent phenomenon for the people of Burma, but the industry has made progress, especially in retail sales, real estate, and automobiles. Internet penetration is primarily driven via smartphones. Nearly 40 million of the country’s total population of 55 million use a mobile phone, and 80 percent have access to smartphones, which has expanded the adoption of mobile payment platforms. Social media networks like Facebook and Instagram serve as quick and cheap tools to market and sell retail products. Following the 2021 coup, however, slower connections and service disruptions negatively impacted access to mobile payment systems and online platforms, and mobile data prices doubled.  As of July 21, online merchants are required to register with the regime’s Ministry of Commerce. Online vendors must complete the registration process to obtain a license. Failure to do so can lead to prosecution under the Important Goods and Services Law.

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility