Opportunities in Greater Mekong Subregion

(Left to right) Maybank Kim Eng Thailand CEO Montree Sornpaisarn, Abdul Farid, Thailand deputy finance minister Wisudhi Srisuphan, SET president Kesara Manchusree, Maybank Kim Eng Group CEO John Chong, and SET executive VP Chanitr Charnchainarong at the Thai Corporate Day 2015 in Bangkok.

PETALING JAYA: Maybank Kim Eng believes there are good investment opportunities that can be tapped within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in Thailand.

With a population of 330 million, which is almost half of the total population of Asean, there is also an abundance of natural resources that is largely untapped, it said.

“Recent developments in the GMS, including improved cross-border trade, investment and labour mobility, have helped boost economic activity.

“The region is expected to grow at 7.5% annually and to double its economic output by 2020.

“Currently, there are more than 100 Thai-listed firms, or 17% of total listed companies, owning businesses in GMS,” Maybank Kim Eng said in a statement yesterday.

It said capital was expected to be raised from the more established stock exchange in Thailand to realise the region’s fairly untapped potential.

“Improved export performance and investor sentiment will also buoy growth. Therefore, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET)-listed securities are looking more and more attractive as vehicles of investment into the GMS,” said Maybank group president and chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Farid Alias in the same statement.

He also said that Maybank Kim Eng, being the largest equities franchise in Asean by trade value in 2014 and the top broker in Thailand for the past 13 years, was well-positioned to provide investors access to GMS through Thailand.

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