Overseas trade courses from BBL
AFTER more than 60 years, Bangkok Bank has realised that doing business overseas faces many challenges, so it is transferring what it has learned to Thai businesspeople via the AEC Business Leader Programme.
The programme will highlight all angles in Myanmar, which the bank believes is a new frontier of investment for Thais, Chaiyarit Anuchitworawong, executive vice president for international banking, said yesterday.Recently, BBL and foreign banks in Myanmar provided a US$60-million (Bt2.1 billion) syndicated loan to a foreign conglomerate, he said.
Myanmar is attractive to foreign investors right now, he said.
The bank has selected 45 businesspeople, both customers and non-customers, to participate in the seven-week courses this month and next.
The programme has five modules – “Asean Inside”, country-specific experience, regional business skills, business support and facilitation, and group experience.
“We have surveyed the country-specific experience. Our branch managers helped provide interesting areas that Thai businesspeople should capture.
“Myanmar has businesses that could be useful for Thai businesspeople, both upstream to downstream,” he said.
Under the programme, the 45 businesspeople will be taken on a field trip to Myanmar, which includes a visit to the Thilawa Special Economic Zone.
“As a commercial bank that positions itself as a regional bank, we have witnessed many challenges abroad. It is not easy to make a footprint overseas.
“We want to be a partner of our customers,” Chaiyarit said.
The bank has 32 international branches, including one each in New York and London.
“The head office in Bangkok can leverage the new regulations in the banking industry from the advanced markets in order to prepare ourselves to manage risks and adapt in Asia and Asean,” he said.
BBL has 16 branches in Asean. The latest opened early this year in Pakse, southern Laos. The low growth of global economies, especially China’s, which is the main partner of Asean, mean the growth of BBL’s international banking might not be aggressive. But there will be some growth, as more than half of its customers have dealt with the bank long enough for it to know their profiles well, Chaiyarit said.
“We have conducted stress tests with customers in risky industries such as steel and agriculture, and labour costs, in order to help manage risk for clients. “This will help tackle unexpected problems in the future.”
