Singapore tops in making doing business easy WB

---

WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Internet) Singapore kept its top ranking for the third year in a row as the easiest place in the world to do business, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday.brThe Asian city-state edged out New Zealand and the United States in the Doing Business 2009 ranking by the World Bank.brFilling out the list of the 10 easiest business environments was Hong Kong, Denmark, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia and Norway.brThe report, examining regulations and how they affect business, ranks 181 economies on the overall ease of doing business.brThe top eight countries were in the same order as the 2008 list, but Australia and Norway traded places, according to the report produced by the World Bank and its private-sector financial development arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).brAt the bottom of the list was Democratic Republic of Congo.brEconomies need rules that are efficient, easy to use, and accessible to all who use them.brOtherwise, businesses are trapped in the unregulated, informal economy, where they have less access to finance and hire fewer workers and where workers lack the protection of labour law, said Michael Klein, World BankIFC vice president for financial development.brSingapore ranked first on international trade and employing workers, and second on protecting investors and closing a business.brNew Zealand afforded the greatest ease in protecting investors and starting a business. The United States led in making it easy to hire workers.brAmong the world's largest economies, Japan held steady at number 12 from last year, while Germany fell to 25 from 20, China rose to 83 from 90 and Britain was unchanged in the sixth position. France moved up one spot to number 31.brAmong rapidly growing emerging economies, Russia fell nine places to 120th place and India slipped two notches to number 122.