Thai financial system stable, but credit access limited

Thailand’s financial system and its baht currency are stable, the country’s central bank chief said on Monday, adding that one “pain point” was limited access to credit for some businesses from financial institutions.

Digital banking will help address a problem of access to credit for small-and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput told a business seminar.

“Stability, currency or finance should not be a big issue...as inflation is not high, the currency is stable, the financial system is stable ...” he said.

But a “key pain point” is limited access to credit for retail and SMEs, he said, adding 60% of SMEs had not been able to obtain credit from financial institutions.

However, the BOT still did not support allowing crypto currencies to be used for bill payments, because of its volatile value and other risks, Sethaput said.

Looking forward, the financial system will be more digital and green while the BOT’s guidelines include more open data and more open competition for new players, he said.