Laos, Cambodia set for more listings
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Private firms and state enterprises are expected to raise large amounts of funds via the stock exchanges in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in the next several years.
More private firms will list on the Cambodian and Laotian bourses next year, their executives told media yesterday at the “Thailand Focus 2012” conference in Bangkok.
Hong Sok Hour, chief executive officer of the Cambodia Securities Exchange, said yesterday that there was currently only one listed firm on the bourse, with market capitalisation of US$140 million (Bt4.4 billion), but five more were expected to list next year. Three of those firms are state enterprises – two port facilitators and one telecom.
He said a third of investors trading shares in the local market were foreigners.
Dethphouvang Moularat, chairman and CEO of the Lao Securities Exchange, said he expected one firm to list on the bourse next year, Lao Telecom Co, which is going to merge with Enterprise Telecommunications Lao. It will join two firms already listed.
He said Laotian investors preferred long-term plays. “They keep shares to store their wealth to be handed down to their children.”
Such behaviour has made the market less liquid, he said. However, the authorities do not want many local people to trade shares because of high risks.
