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Business Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
Top Thai billionaires-backed groups win digital bank permits
[BANGKOK] Three groups led by Charoen Pokmhand Group, Gulf Development and SCB X have clinched Thailand's new virtual bank licences to boost competition in the nation's banking industry, according to the central bank. ACM Holding, which is part of CP Group, and Advanced Info Service, a Gulf Development's mobile phone affiliate, secured the permits, Bank of Thailand said on Thursday (Jun 19). SCB X, which formed a consortium that includes China's WeBank and South Korea's KakaoBank, also obtained the virtual bank licence. 'We have high hopes that the new licences will increase competition in the banking industry with new innovation and technology,' deputy governor Roong Mallikamas told a press briefing. The announcement came amid a fresh political turmoil in the country that puts the current government on the brink of collapse. The nation is opening its banking industry to more competition that will allow greater access to loans for under-served consumers, following similar moves across Asia. Still, the new virtual banking operators will confront a landscape where traditional lenders are saddled with rising bad loans and weakening credit demand on the back of a soft economy. The timing of these permits is 'tricky and throws up a number of challenges,' said Sarah Jane Mahmud, a senior bank analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. 'Singapore digital banks have yet to break even, three years after going live,' she said. 'With hefty investment in digital platforms and marketing, Thai digital banks could face a longer wait to generate profit.' Singapore handed out digital banking permits in 2020, followed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Low-income individuals and small business will also have a greater access to new credit by the new operators of virtual banks, said Roong. The Chearavanont family, which controls CP Group, is one of Asia's richest clans, according to the Bloomberg billionaires Index report. It has businesses spanning from foods and retail to telecommunication and properties. It forayed into digital payment and financial services through fintech unit Ascend Money, with more than 50 million customers in Thailand and six other South-east Asian countries. Gulf Development, controlled by billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi, was created earlier this year by combining his empire – ranging from power to seaports, tollways and telecommunication – under one roof with the goal to accelerate his expansion in digital infrastructure such as data centres. Sarath is Thailand's second-richest person with a net worth of USUS$11 billion. Joining Sarath's group in the bid are Krung Thai Bank and PTT Oil and Retail Business, according to the central bank's statement. BLOOMBERG
Business Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Citigroup to partner with Swiss bourse in private markets push
[ZURICH] Citigroup is partnering with Switzerland's stock exchange SIX Group as part of a push by the Wall Street lender to make it easier for investors to settle and store their private markets holdings. The New York-based bank will use a platform operated by SDX, a subsidiary of SIX, to offer shares in late-stage, pre-IPO companies to investors, according to a statement. The offering will be available starting in the third quarter. 'Private markets is a major and growing opportunity,' Marni McManus, Citigroup's country officer and head of banking for Switzerland, Monaco and Liechtenstein said in the statement. The firm's partnership with SIX will 'simplify and digitise what is essentially a manual and paper-driven industry today.' The shares will be distributed through digital asset group Sygnum Bank and Singapore-based broker dealer SBI Digital Markets. The two companies will distribute the pre-IPO equities to their institutional and eligible investors in Europe and Asia, respectively. The announcement comes as many of the world's biggest banks have boosted their private-market offerings in recent months. Many have forged alliances with private-credit firms while others have been looking to ease access for retails investors into the illiquid asset class. Morgan Stanley said last week it plans to launch a private equity fund for the widest audience yet, while Goldman Sachs Group in April announced the launch of a private equity offering that will be open to individuals with as little as USUS$5 million in investments across their portfolios. With Citigroup's new partnership, trades that previously took weeks will be executed instantaneously on the new platform, McManus said. The tokenization of assets will also allow accredited investors to hold smaller amounts in those firms than they previously could. BLOOMBERG
