SET boss talks up Thailand’s stock exchange
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) can withstand external threats and will grow to become a key platform for start-ups and SMEs to gain access to capital, SET president Pakorn Peetathawatchai said on Wednesday.
Pakorn was speaking at the Thailand Focus 2019, an annual event organised by the SET to inform both foreign and local institutional investors on the investment opportunities in the Kingdom’s capital market.
“The key focus of today’s conference will be on empowering start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country as well as increasing connectivity between Thailand and the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) subregion,” Pakorn said.
One hundred and twenty seven foreign institutional investors with a combined market cap of US$2.6 trillion, larger than Thailand’s GDP value turned out for the event.
Also participating were 203 local institutional investors and 105 listed firms, who listened closely to the investment opportunities in the stock market, according to the SET president.
“Going forward, the SET will offer more opportunities for start-ups and SMEs to gain access to capital, which will in turn, strengthen Thailand’s economy,” he said.
The key sectors that are considered Thailand’s strength are the well-being sector, healthcare, hospitality, agriculture and manufacturing, he said, adding that the conference would discuss how Thailand can become a regional leader in these areas as the country’s population starts to age.
Meanwhile, Pakorn dismissed the potential external threats to Thailand’s stock market such as the ongoing trade conflict between the US and China.
“Thailand’s stock market has a sufficiently high level of stability as the country’s financial sector maintains an impressive level of financial discipline,” he said during an interview on the sidelines.
