Myanmar’s extractive industry sector is an important contributor to GDP growth and government revenue. The importance seems likely to further increase in the future with off shore gas fields being explored and developed. With the expected increase in revenue the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) has frequently been a topic of discussion among both national policy makers as well as international partners.

This paper discusses how the establishment of a SWF with the revenues from the extractive industries could have a number of potential benefits for the government of Myanmar and for the country. It also discusses the set of criteria that needs to be met to ensure the fund is effective and achieves its objective.