Thailand to shortlist central bank chief candidates by July 2, official says
BANGKOK :A Thai selection committee plans to shortlist candidates to be the next central bank chief by July 2, an official said on Thursday, ahead of the end of incumbent Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput's five-year term in September.
The new Bank of Thailand governor will face a tough task of steering the country's underperforming economy, the second largest in Southeast Asia, through the global trade war.
Thai law requires the committee to pick at least two candidates for the finance minister to choose from at least 90 days before the end of the incumbent governor's term. The appointment will also require cabinet and royal approval.
Applications for the role will be open from May 13 to June 4, Pornchai Thiraveja, head of the finance ministry's fiscal policy office, told a news briefing. The committee will hold its next meeting on June 20.
Potential candidates include deputy Roong Mallikamas, a deputy central bank governor, and Sutapa Amornvivat, a former economist at the International Monetary Fund, according to local media.
Governor Sethaput's term ends on September 30. The 60-year-old former World Bank economist cannot seek a second term as he has reached retirement age.
Sethaput has disagreed with some policies of the ruling Pheu Thai party, which took office in 2023, and had long resisted its calls for cuts in interest rates. He has also stressed the need for central banks worldwide to be independent in his speeches.
The search for a new governor follows a drawn-out process to select a new Bank of Thailand board chair. The nomination of a government loyalist drew widespread criticism from economists and former central bank governors, and an advisory council said the candidate was ineligible because of a recent political role.When the process restarted, a government-backed candidate, former finance ministry permanent secretary, Somchai Sujjapongse, was appointed to the position in April.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia must not let economy slip into recession, says Putin, after minister issues warning
Participants watch Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen at the 28th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 20. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Russia must not let economy slip into recession, says Putin, after minister issues warning ST PETERSBURG, Russia - Russia's economy must under no circumstances slide into recession, President Vladimir Putin told an economic forum on June 20, in a clear instruction to assembled government ministers and central bankers. The Bank of Russia hiked its key interest rate to the highest level since the early 2000s in October, seeking to curb stubbornly high inflation, before cutting it by one percentage point to 20 per cent earlier this month. The Kremlin has said this easing did not go far enough, as the economy threatens to cool too quickly after running hot for two years thanks largely to huge increases in defence spending on the war in Ukraine. 'Our most important task is to ensure the economy's transition to a balanced growth trajectory,' Mr Putin said, in a keynote speech at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Consumer inflation is running at 9.59 per cent on an annual basis, according to the economy ministry, well above the central bank's 4 per cent target, but has been gradually easing since late April. 'Balanced growth is moderate inflation, low unemployment, and continued positive economic dynamics... At the same time, some specialists and experts point to the risks of stagnation and even recession. This should not be allowed under any circumstances,' Mr Putin said. Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, in a downbeat message to Russia's showcase economic event, said on June 20 that the economy was on the verge of sliding into recession and monetary policy decisions would determine whether it falls into one or not. Pressure on the central bank is mounting. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, credited with steering Russia through a serious of crises since being appointed in 2013, has also faced criticism from lawmakers and prominent businessmen, often over high interest rates or rouble volatility. She has remained in post thanks to Mr Putin's personal support. Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov delivered a downbeat message at Russia's showcase economic event. PHOTO: REUTERS 'It's time to cut the rate and start heating up the economy,' Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on June 20. Demand for credit is weak, said Mr German Gref, chief executive officer of Russia's largest lender Sberbank, calling for faster rate cuts to incentivise companies to invest. 'It is especially worrying that we, as the largest bank, which finances... almost 60 per cent of all investment projects in the country, have not financed a single new project since the new year,' Mr Gref said on June 20. 'Serious problem' Businesses, complaining for months about high rates stifling investment, have continued to bang the drum for a cut, with Mr Alexey Mordashov, steelmaker Severstal's largest shareholder, warning that certain businesses were downsizing or shutting down. 'We are on the brink of a serious credit servicing the number of bankruptcies is growing,' Mr Mordashov said, warning that more businesses may become disillusioned with high rates and simply choose to hold money on high-interest deposits instead. Steel consumption was down 14 per cent in January-May compared with the same period of 2024, Mr Mordashov said, highlighting how investment activity is down, hurting Russia's long-term development and competitiveness. 'This cooling is a serious problem right now,' Mr Mordashov said. 'And to continue with this (monetary) policy is fraught with the intensification of these negative consequences.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Where NUS and NTU outshine Oxbridge in global rankings
One in three students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a foreigner. The attraction is clear: NUS ranks fourth globally—behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon—in computer science and information systems in the 2025 QS World University Rankings By Subject. In electrical and electronic engineering, both NUS and NTU share the fourth spot with Harvard, trailing just MIT, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley, according to the same source. Either or both of the universities excel in other fields as well, including law, medicine, and architecture. With their strong showing in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, could NUS and NTU be seen as the Oxford and Cambridge of Asia? Sticklers may disagree, and not without reason. For one, NUS and NTU are located far closer together than the dreaming spires of Oxford are to Cambridge. More importantly, they cannot yet rival the rich Oxbridge tradition in the arts and humanities. Still, in many other fields, they are catching up—or have already overtaken—and that progress is clearly reflected in the rankings. NUS and NTU are ranked eighth and 12th respectively, just behind Oxford and Cambridge, which come in at fourth and sixth. The strong performance of Singapore's universities is no longer a novelty. This marks the third consecutive year NUS has held eighth place. NTU, which ranked 15th in 2025, has returned to 12th, a position it surpassed in 2018 and 2020 when it ranked 11th. Splitting the two Singapore institutions in this year's rankings is the University of Hong Kong at 11th. See also Singapore experts weigh in on the Covid-19 situation NUS is the only Asian university in the global top 10. The only other non-Anglo-American presence is ETH Zurich of Switzerland, in seventh. The broader Asia-Pacific region has a growing presence in the top 20: China's Peking University and Tsinghua University are ranked 14th and 17th, while Australia's University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales are 19th and 20th. NUS, NTU: Areas of excellence The Singapore universities are no longer known solely for their engineering prowess. NUS ranks 10th globally in law—making it the only non-Anglo-American university in the top 10 for legal studies. NTU stands at 82nd. In medicine, NUS ranks 18th—the highest for any Asian university—while NTU is 84th. NTU, however, shines in communication and media studies, coming in fourth behind the University of Amsterdam, Harvard, and the University of Texas at Austin. NUS ranks 14th in this field. While Oxford and Cambridge still reign supreme in the arts and humanities, NUS is gaining ground. It ranks second globally in art history, eighth in linguistics, ninth in architecture, 15th in English language and literature, and 17th in history. See also SATIRE: Pokemon GO releases sad news for its Singapore fans This academic success is underpinned by scale and diversity. With over 33,000 students, NUS has the second-largest student body among the top 10 universities—trailing only University College London, which has over 45,000 students. NTU has more than 25,000 students. International students and staff International students and staff contribute significantly to the success of both institutions. Foreigners make up 36% of the student body at NUS and 33% at NTU. The faculty is even more international, with 65% of staff at both universities coming from overseas. In comparison, Harvard has around 24,300 students, including 6,700 international students, and over 4,400 faculty and staff, only 27% of whom are international. Oxford has over 22,000 students, more than 9,000 of them from abroad, and 6,500 faculty and staff, with 44% from overseas. The international students and staff carry weight in the QS World University Rankings. QS applies the following weightage when ranking universities: Academic reputation: 30% Citations per faculty: 20% Employer reputation: 15% Employment outcomes: 5% Faculty-student ratio: 10% International faculty ratio: 5% International research network: 5% International student ratio: 5% International student diversity: 0% See also SP overcharges bill, claims they 'overestimated' $1500 There's an old story about Benjamin Jowett, the 19th-century Master of Balliol College, Oxford, who once declared, 'I am the Master of this College; what I don't know isn't knowledge.' Today, such a claim would be inconceivable. From NUS to NTU, Oxford to Harvard, the global groves of academe are constantly striving for the next breakthrough, the next frontier of knowledge. Top 20 in QS World University Rankings 2026: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Imperial College London Stanford University University of Oxford Harvard University University of Cambridge ETH Zurich National University of Singapore University College London California Institute of Technology (Caltech) University of Hong Kong Nanyang Technological University University of Chicago Peking University University of Pennsylvania Cornell University Tsinghua University University of California, Berkeley University of Melbourne University of New South Wales
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
‘More vouchers?' Singaporeans on what they expect from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech
SINGAPORE: After it was announced on Wednesday (Jun 18) that Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong will be delivering the National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, commenters online expressed what they were looking forward to or expected from it. The PM's Office said that the speech will be held at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central in Ang Mo Kio. This is the second time Mr Wong will be giving the speech, and the first since Singapore handed the People's Action Party (PAP) a very strong mandate in last month's General Election. The speech is widely recognised to be the most significant political one of the year, since important policy announcements are made. In last year's speech, PM Wong made announcements concerning SkillsFuture, public housing, and other social support measures. This year, based on comments online, a number of Singaporeans appear to expect more announcements about vouchers. One Facebook user, perhaps mostly in jest, wrote that they expected the speech to be '50% about vouchers.' See also Employees in retrenching companies experiencing lower morale A Reddit user decided to play it twee, writing 'Papa Wong, I want more vouchers.' Others, however, decided to take things more seriously, and more than a few netizens across various social media platforms expressed hope for a rollback on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike. For one, however, public housing was high on their wish list. 'I just want affordable housing for young and future Singaporeans. Million-dollar public housing while the youth struggle with one of the worst job markets in history,' they wrote. 'Housing, housing, housing. The snowball keeps growing bigger,' another agreed. A commenter on Reddit was also concerned about jobs, writing, 'Please do something to prevent companies /jobs from leaving. Once they leave, they can only return back to our shores in next five to 10 years given the investments and commitment of their contracts in the countries they relocate to, so what will happen to us during these years, eat grass?' For one Facebook user, meanwhile, wi-fi costs are a big concern. 'Your speech should include reducing internet, WiFi Data cost for the people. Currently, it is just too high. Many competitors in the market, but all are game to con and swindle the people money. First month price is good. Second month, they just increase it like crazy… We want you to address these issues if we are to move forward Sir.' /TISG Read also: IN FULL: Lawrence Wong stresses strategies to navigate new world in maiden National Day message as PM
