SET plans new products, services to expand long-term investor base
THE Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) targets expanding the long-term investor base by developing more products and services as part of its transformation into a digital exchange to ensure consistent growth in the future.
SET president Kesara Manchusri said yesterday that the SET continues to encourage investment in provident funds to ensure employees can look forward to long-term financial stability. It wants to increase the number of companies adopting the investment cafeteria policy for employees.
The exchange also provides investment knowledge on provident funds for higher long-term returns through online media.
"For the remaining six months, the SET will proceed with its "Diversified-Digital-Sustainable-International’ business plan, expand various products and services with quality, boost liquidity and develop its work system towards the digital exchange and GMS Connector.
"That’s for joint development with capital markets in the Greater Mekong Subregion countries," she said.
On the foreign front, the SET will enhance foreign investor bases in the exchange and Thailand Futures Exchange through roadshows and small and medium listed companies’ direct meetings with foreign investors.
Thailand Focus is scheduled for this August. Another roadshow will also be held in New York.
To set itself up as the GMS Connector, the SET will open channels for fundraising by GMS countries and foreign companies through primary listings, secondary listings, infrastructure funds and infrastructure trusts. Other instruments include GMS depository receipts.
To step up to the digital exchange, only one channel to the SET group’s website was developed for easier access to market information. It has 33,000 members after two months of service.
Click2Win was also introduced for investors to simulate stock and futures trading through smartphones, besides computers. The SET application has seen 44,000 downloads after its launch in April.
For the rest of this year, eight approved companies are waiting to be listed and 16 more are seeking approval to be listed.
To facilitate issuers of securities, the SET has developed the Digital IPO to serve all types of securities online by the first quarter of next year.
To promote quality and sustainable investment, the exchange has introduced criteria for Thailand Sustainable Investment to promote listed companies to gain sustainable quality. Those passing the environmental, social and governance criteria will be announced this October.
For the first half, despite the uncertainties in global capital markets with capital movement from the beginning of this year, the SET, among its Asean peers, continued to see the highest daily market turnover of Bt47.7 billion, or about US$1.44 billion, after brokerages and commercial banks grew their investor bases in big cities.
In the period, new investors totalled 63,863.
In the latter half, the SET plans to increase its local investor base by teaming up with its allies to hold 25 regional activities and launch the Stock Saving Campaign Programme.
The Thailand Futures Exchange, in the first six months, has seen an average of 192,878 contracts traded daily, exceeding this whole year’s daily trade target of 190,000 contracts.
"The success, in the first six months of this year, came from our commitment to drive the SET to the fifth decade with quality and sustainability," she said.
