Tharay Sithu Aung Ko Win (Burmese: အောင်ကိုဝင်း) is a Burmese business tycoon and former school teacher. He owns interests in several businesses in Myanmar under the Kanbawza (KBZ) brand in the finance, agriculture, aviation, manufacturing and tourism sectors.

Aung Ko Win (A Win Lay)
အောင်ကိုဝင်း
Born
NationalityBurmese
Alma materMandalay University
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseNang Than Htwe
ChildrenNang Lang Kham
Nang Kham Noung
Nang Mo Hom
AwardsThe Banker Awards (2013)
State Excellence Award (2013, 2014, 2015)
The Legacy Award (2017)

Career

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Aung Ko Win was a teacher, then he switched to tutoring before going into trading and mining. He has benefited from close connections to General Maung Aye,[1] the second in command of the former military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).[2][3]: 155 [4] While Maung Aye was a commander in jade-mining region of Shan State, Maung Aye offered Aung Ko Win jade and gem mining concessions.[1]

His trading and mining business prospered, and two years later, he bought the banking operation. Then he moved KBZ and his family to Yangon in the late 1990s, when there were only 4 branches. Now there are 485, and KBZ expects to reach 500 by the end of 2017.[5][unreliable source?]


Personal life

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He is married to Nang Than Htwe,[6] the niece of Win Myint, a former State Peace and Development Council official.[2]: 145  He has 3 daughters.[6][7] His wife is Deputy Chairman of KBZ, while his daughters serve as directors within the company.[8] Two daughters are Deputy CEOs of KBZ Bank.[9] His brother-in-law, Major-General Zaw Myint Naing was appointed vice-governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar in August 2022.[10]

Awards and honours

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Awards

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In 2015, Aung Ko Win accepted "The Banker of the Year Award" in Asia 2015 award at a ceremony held at the London Stock Exchange on 3 December.[11]

In 2017, he was awarded with the ASEAN's "The Legacy Award" conferred on him by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council-ABAC on 6 September in Manila, Philippines.[12][better source needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b Szep, Jason; Marshall, Andrew R.C. (13 April 2012). "Special Report: An image makeover for Myanmar Inc". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b Aung Min; Toshihiro Kudo (2014). "Business Conglomerates in the Context of Myanmar's Economic Reform" (PDF). Myanmar's Integration with Global Economy: Outlook and Opportunities. Bangkok Research Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  3. ^ Turnell, Sean (2012). "8. Reform and its Limits in Myanmar's Fiscal State". Myanmar's Transition. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing. doi:10.1355/9789814414173-015. ISBN 978-981-4414-17-3.
  4. ^ Yeni; Yan Pai; Aung Thet Wine (14 January 2011). "Burmese Bank Rumored on Verge of Bankruptcy". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
  5. ^ Gluckman, Ron (4 October 2017). "A Family Of Entrepreneurs Has Built KBZ Into a Finance Powerhouse In Myanmar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Commission Regulation (EU) No 411/2010 of 10 May 2010 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 renewing and strengthening the restrictive measures in respect of Burma/Myanmar". Official Journal of the European Union. European Commission. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Banking (Foreign Exchange) Regulations 1959 – Direction Relating to Foreign Currency Transactions and to Burma (18/10/2007)". Commonwealth of Australia. 18 Oct 2007. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Our Board of Directors". KBZ Group. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  9. ^ Gluckman, Ron. "A Family Of Entrepreneurs Has Built KBZ Into a Finance Powerhouse In Myanmar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  10. ^ "Former General Named as Vice-Governor of Central Bank of Myanmar". The Irrawaddy. 2022-08-26. Archived from the original on 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  11. ^ "KBZ Bank wins three best bank awards for 2015 from World Finance". Global New Light of Myanmar. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "ASEAN "The Legacy Award" conferred on KBZ's Chairman". Global New Light of Myanmar. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)