Mizuho Bank first foreign partner in certificate issuance
JAPAN’S Mizuho Bank has become the first foreign partner of the Business Development Department in its issuance of business certificates.
Mizuho Bank’s Bangkok branch will be able to issue e-certificates for enterprises in March.
The department had only joined six local partners in issuing e-certificates to enterprises at 4,245 branches nationwide. The six local banks are Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank, Government Savings Bank, Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank and Thanachart Bank.
Pongpun Gearaviriyapun, director-general of the department, said yesterday that the cooperation with Mizuho Bank was the next step of the department’s services in facilitating enterprises, especially for Japanese firms doing business in Thailand.
The department is trying to make it easier for entrepreneurs to establish businesses nationwide by reducing red tape, while promoting Thailand as an easy place to do business.
Documents issued by banks and modern traders will have 100-per-cent legal authority.
Kentaro Maruki, joint general manager of Mizuho Bank’s Bangkok branch, said the cooperation with the department would facilitate Japanese operations in Thailand.
With full Asean integration, more Japanese and other foreign firms would become interested in doing business in Thailand, which is showing strong economic growth.
The e-certification should help make businesses operate in Thailand easier.
Mizuho Bank is Japan’s third-largest. It now has 544 branches in 35 countries.
To assist enterprises in the near future, the department is negotiating with Tesco Lotus to issue e-certificates.
By expanding its service to banks and modern-trade branches, it can save businessmen time and travel costs, Pongpun said.
The department reported that new company registrations increased 1 per cent to 60,147 last year.
Most of the new companies were involved in construction, development, restaurants, consulting and construction-material trading.
The department expects 60,000-65,000 new firms will register in Thailand this year, on expected stronger economic growth, the government’s measure to help small and medium-sized enterprises and stronger growth of the tourism industry.
Worrisome factors continue to be the slowdown of China’s economy and weak export growth.
Last year recorded 22,576 firms shutting down, an increase of 19 per cent from the previous year. Many |of the closures were due to the department’s strict regulation of |registered businesses. Most of the failed firms were lottery or inactive companies.
