Banking

Thailand’s banking sector is well capitalised and highly conservative, a legacy of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, which left financiers in the region averse to systemic risk. It is also a very local affair, with less than 15% of assets held by foreign banks. This may change in 2015 when new banking regulations come into force, but little shakeup is expected for the time being. The banking sector is also expecting an impact from new caps on deposit insurance, which are being implemented by the Bank of Thailand in the hopes of pushing commercial clients toward the capital markets. This section has interviews with Prasarn Trairatvorakul, Governor, Bank of Thailand; Chartsiri Sophonpanich, President, Bangkok Bank; and Matthew Lobner, CEO, HSBC Thailand.