9 Oct 2020
Financial Institutions
KResearch assesses that the pandemic-stricken economic environment continued to undermine commercial banks’ profitability in 3Q20, with both interest income and fee income on a declining trend that corresponds to the continuous slump in economic activity across many sectors. Moreover, the interest i... Read more
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2 Oct 2020
The White House’s recent confirmation that President Donald Trump was diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) is an issue that warrants close monitoring in the days ahead. KResearch views that President Trump’s illness may not affect his popularity as a Republican candidate for the US presidential ele... Read more
28 Sep 2020
Life insurance is among businesses that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first seven months of 2020, life insurance premiums contracted by 3.6 percent YoY, reaching THB 329 billion. For 2020, life insurance premiums are projected to shrink in the range of 6 to 2 percent ... Read more
25 Sep 2020
Changing economic conditions as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic present a number of challenges to personal loan (PLoan) service providers, both commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions. Key challenges include how to adjust strategies to reach targeted customers faster tha... Read more
22 Sep 2020
We at KResearch expect that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 0.50 percent during its meeting slated for September 23, 2020 to maintain the monetary policy space. The MPC may view that a policy rate cut to near zero is not necessary at this time because it can... Read more
The digital personal loan regulations promulgated in the most recent announcement of the Bank of Thailand encourage service providers to use alternative data that does not concern personal income data to assess the willingness and ability of borrowers’ debt payment. This arrangement reflects two pos... Read more
11 Sep 2020
Preparedness for a new context in the financial world resulting from permanent cessation of the London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR) as an interest rate benchmark for financial transactions is an important mission of financial regulatory authorities in many countries. For Thailand, the Bank of Thaila... Read more
1 Sep 2020
KResearch views that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an important catalyst in transforming the way Thai consumers conduct funds transfer and pay for goods and services. Such trends have given rise to the “New Normal” which is geared towards making money transfers and purchases that do not require p... Read more
23 Jul 2020
KResearch assesses that, as of 2020, digital lending service in Thailand is still in its infancy and modest in scale as digital lenders lack sufficient customer data for risk profile assessment. Therefore, digital lending service during this initial period is seen mainly as an alternative for existi... Read more
20 Jul 2020
Persistent weakness seen in the Thai economy as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic since early 2020 has substantially hurt the profitability of commercial banks during 2Q20. The highly volatile economic cycle at this time has pressured income of commercial banks’ core businesses and in ... Read more
7 Jul 2020
According to the latest information, Thailand’s outstanding household debt in 1Q20 fell by THB 3.56 billion compared to the previous quarter – down to THB 13.47 trillion, the first such drop in four and a half years, and close to the outstanding household debt of THB 13.48 trillion in late 2019; due... Read more
22 Jun 2020
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is forging ahead with its Phase II package of relief measures for small borrowers, which will emphasize relieving the financial burden of retail debtors by lowering the interest rate ceiling on credit cards and personal loans, as well as cutting the interest rate for refin... Read more
Regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Meeting on June 24, 2020, KResearch has assessed that the committee will consider putting the policy rate on hold at 0.50 percent as it waits to gauge the effectiveness of the monetary and fiscal measures that were previously issued. These measures inclu... Read more
4 Jun 2020
In April 2020, many countries around the world, including Thailand, began to implement lockdown measures to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This has resulted in economic stagnation. At the same time, foreign investors became net sellers of Thai stocks and bonds. Meanwhile, the Baht has g... Read more
29 May 2020
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has altered the business environment of commercial banks in two ways: 1) The speed of disruption has become faster; and, 2) There has been a “New Normal” environment in the commercial banking business. Such changes have inevitably affected business model of commer... Read more
25 May 2020
The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to trim its policy rate on May 20, 2020 has prompted commercial banks in Thailand to cut their interest rates once again a few days after that. Large commercial banks have concurrently announced to reduce their minimum loan rates (MLR), minimum retail rates (... Read more
18 May 2020
KResearch expects the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to consider adjusting interest rate downward by 0.25 percent from the current level of 0.75 percent to 0.50 percent, amid this risk-prone economic environment. The Thai economy has been significantly affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, as it ex... Read more
8 Apr 2020
On 7 April 2020, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) issued additional measures to assist the private sector in combating the COVID-19 which primarily concern short-term liquidity boosting measures offered to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) that have been affected by the spread of the COVID-19 virus – a g... Read more
24 Mar 2020
The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic has created a new record for the Thai retail insurance market with the total sales of insurance policies projected to reach more than 1 million in March 2020 alone. If so, the total sales of insurance policies overall in 2020 may top roughly 2-3 million, representing ... Read more
22 Jan 2020
The reduction in home ownership transfer fee in early 2020 and the Bank of Thailand’s decision to relax its loan-to-value (LTV) regulations for first-and second-time home buyers on January 20, 2020, with the aim of promoting home ownership and increasing consumer house-buying power, will likely give... Read more
17 Jan 2020
Thailand’s household debt continued to surge amid the slowing economy as the size of the household debt relative to GDP rose to 79.1 percent in 3Q19, the highest in almost three years. The high level of household debt nationwide is consistent with KResearch’s survey on household debt and savings in ... Read more
15 Jan 2020
The Bank of Thailand recently revealed details on the improvements of calculation methods for interests and service charges, with the aim of protecting consumers in three areas. These include: 1) prepayment penalties for SME and personal loans; 2) default interests that must be based on outstanding ... Read more
25 Dec 2019
According to the statements of assets and liability (C.B. 1.1) of 14 Thai commercial banks as of the end of November 2019, net loans increased only slightly despite the loan drawdown season. The marginal rise in net loans was due to the negative factors stemming from loan repayment by the business s... Read more
17 Dec 2019
We at KResearch expect that the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will likely keep its policy rate steady at 1.25 percent during the final meeting of 2019 slated for December 18, 2019 pending a domestic economic assessment going forward. ... Read more
25 Nov 2019
Net loans in October 2019 decreased from the previous month by 87.7 billion Baht amid the pressure on loans at almost all banks, especially from debt repayment by the corporate sector, SME business operators and the government. Nonetheless, retail loans, namely, personal loan and other unsecured loa... Read more
19 Nov 2019
Digital-only banking is a banking business in the modern age that can be categorized into two types based on business models, which aim at different groups of customers: First, digital-only banks which focus on servicing low to medium income earners who face certain limitations in accessing financi... Read more
13 Nov 2019
As the Thai economy has shown signs of slowing, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to cut the policy rate for the second time this year to 1.25 percent per annum during its meeting on November 6, 2019. The central bank’s policy rate cut has been passed on to the interest rate reduction ... Read more
11 Nov 2019
When looking back at Thailand’s recent financial history, the search-for-yield behavior has always occurred regardless of how low or high the interest rate was at that given period. At any rate, during the slowing economy, which often comes with a low interest rate environment, people are more likel... Read more
7 Nov 2019
On November 6, 2019, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) announced the “Relaxation of rules to facilitate capital outflows and lessen pressure on the Thai Baht”, while the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) resolved to cut its policy rate to 1.25 percent. Their concurrent actions have caused the Baht to weaken ... Read more
1 Nov 2019
Signs of a slowing economy in terms of exports, domestic spending and relatively low inflation reflect the vulnerabilities of the Thai economy, while the impact from the lackluster exports has begun seeping into the real economic sector. Although the government recently introduced a series of econom... Read more
25 Oct 2019
Net loans of commercial banks in September 2019 expanded within a limited range, due to lackluster signs of overall economic activity. Moreover, some big commercial banks have exercised a cautious approach in approving loans to ensure the quality of loans. Meanwhile, the growth of small and medium s... Read more
17 Oct 2019
Although 3Q19 earnings of Thai commercial banks show that the Thai commercial banking system overall has been able to maintain profitability from extraordinary items, cut expenses from setting aside reserves and undertake efficient cost management, KResearch has assessed that the sluggish Thai econo... Read more
16 Oct 2019
The continuously strengthening Thai Baht has caused worries among the export-related business sector and the domestic tourism industry. Since the beginning of 2019, the Thai Baht has risen 7.4 percent against the greenback and other key major and regional currencies. The Thai currency has surged in ... Read more
9 Oct 2019
The Baht has appreciated to test THB30.30/USD, representing the strongest in more than six years and Asia’s best-performing currency. The Thai currency has strengthened by approximately 7.4 percent against the greenback, outpacing the Indonesian Rupiah and Philippine Peso, which have appreciated onl... Read more
26 Sep 2019
Net loans of commercial banks (14 banks) in August 2019 increased only 3.84 percent YoY, the same growth as the rate registered in July 2019, which is the lowest rate in 21 months. Loan outstandings continue to slow in alignment with the overall economic sentiment. In particular, business loans are ... Read more
19 Sep 2019
We at KResearch expect that the Bank of Thailand (BOT)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will likely maintain its policy rate at 1.50 percent during the sixth meeting of 2019 slated for September 25, 2019. The fact that 3Q19 economic indicators did not deteriorate from those seen in 2Q19 may give th... Read more
10 Sep 2019
Life insurance premiums received in 1H19 totaled THB295 billion, contracting 6.1 percent YoY. In 2H19, the business is likely to slightly rebound, but the mild recovery is not enough to push the overall business performance for the whole of 2019 back to positive territory. Total life insurance pre... Read more
16 Aug 2019
New reports over the past one month may represent signals confirming that the Bank of Thailand (BOT) is in the process of carrying out two important matters to cope with hefty household debt. These include: 1) determining lending guidelines for low-income earners; and 2) preparation to set common le... Read more
15 Aug 2019
Within one week after the Bank of Thailand announced a policy rate cut, major Thai commercial banks have followed suit by cutting lending rates for their general customers. These banks have slashed their minimum overdraft rate (MOR) and minimum retail rate (MRR) by 12.5-25 basis points, but are keep... Read more
7 Aug 2019
Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-2 to cut the benchmark rate for the first time in four years to 1.50 percent, from 1.75 percent, at its meeting, August 7, 2019. The MPC attributed its move to the weakening signs seen in the export sector and domestic demand, which have caused the ... Read more
5 Aug 2019
KResearch projects that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep its policy rate steady at 1.75 percent at the fifth meeting of 2019 slated for August 7, 2019. It is expected that the MPC will attach importance to long-term stability at the upcoming meeting as it is experiencing more challenges... Read more
25 Jul 2019
Commercial loans and many types of retail loans grew at a slow pace while SME loans did not recovered in June. This caused June net loans overall to increase only THB10.7 billion or 0.09 percent MoM. When compared to the same period of last year, June net loans expanded at the sluggish pace in almos... Read more
18 Jul 2019
We at KResearch project that net profit overall of commercial banks registered in Thailand will reach approximately THB51-52 billion in 2Q19, declining from the THB52.59 billion reported for 1Q19. Operating profit in 2Q10 may recover at a slower pace because income growth from core business of comme... Read more
15 Jul 2019
The Bank of Thailand (BOT), on July 12, 2019, issued the measures to enhance short-term capital flow surveillance under the measures to prevent Thai Baht speculation formally announced after the central bank had earlier sent signal and expressed concerns over the rapid gains of Thai Baht which had s... Read more