3 April 2024
Bangkok (3 April 2024) -
Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya PCL), unwavering in its commitment, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Thai SME entrepreneurs, empowering them through every transition into the evolving business landscape.
Revealing its SME Banking Group strategies for 2024, Krungsri SME underscores a steadfast focus on empowering SME customers through value creation and sustainable growth, driven by the 3GO strategies encompassing ‘GO Green, GO Digital and GO Beyond’. The Bank is determined to offer comprehensive solutions tailored for business implementation under the ESG framework. Leveraging digital technology and innovation, the Bank provides platforms for building business opportunities, enabling entrepreneurs to adapt to market shifts and embrace the new opportunities to make strides toward sustainability.
Miss Duangkamol Limpuangthip, Krungsri Head of SME Banking Group, said “With the emergence of multi-dimensional opportunities and challenges over the past years, Krungsri has remained steadfast, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Thai SME entrepreneurs to address the challenges through fully-integrated solutions and knowledge tailored to their needs and current business trends. In 2023, the SME loans surged by 11% over the previous year, in line with the economic recovery to pre-COVID level, with outstanding SME loans totaling over 339,000 million baht, 6,100 million baht of which are ESG finance products developed for SME customers.”
As for the business direction and strategies in 2024, Krungsri is ready to keep on promoting and supporting the Thai SME entrepreneurs by
creating added value and encouraging business operations under the sustainability framework through the “3GO” strategies as follows:
- GO Green: Krungsri aims to support the sustainability transition of SME by offering financial products that cater to the needs for environmental management, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Furthermore, Krungsri is committed to fostering knowledge and understanding about ESG development through a number of ongoing seminars throughout the year to ensure that our customers are aware of the importance of ESG and have the opportunity to meet strategic partners or alliances that can make contribution to their ESG goals. Thanks to impressive responses in the previous year, the Krungsri ESG Awards is going to be held consecutively for the second year. In the meantime, we are planning the inauguration of Krungsri ESG Academy. Furthermore, Krungsri joins hands with MUFG to organize ‘Krungsri-MUFG ESG Symposium 2024’, aiming to build a collaborative network among our partners with an ESG vision and mission domestically and internationally to provide advice, transmit the ESG concept, and assist the Bank’s business customers to apply ESG in their business in a practical manner.
- GO Digital: The Bank will help SME customers unleash their potential through solutions and digital innovations that build the competitive advantage and facilitate their business transactions through the platform of Krungsri Biz Online. This year, Krungsri plans to enhance the platform’s features for better efficiency and security, including the extension of online peer-to-peer cross-border remittance service to cover more ASEAN countries such as Vietnam. We also upgrade the solutions for merchants in the cashless society such as Krungsri EDC Plus, a service facilitating payment of goods and services with credit/debit card bearing VISA, MasterCard, JCB and UPI symbols issued by financial institutions around the world, which has been enhanced to accommodate online payment via Krungsri Mung-Mee SHOP application, etc.
- GO Beyond: In addition to providing financial services, Krungsri aims to enhance the business opportunities of SME customers with readiness and potential in expanding their market domestically and abroad especially the ASEAN region and Japan. Krungsri and MUFG have a strong network which is the major strength of Krungsri that helps SME customers identify trusted trading partners through the Krungsri Business Link platform which currently boasts over 2,000 member companies. This year, we also plan to organize marketing roadshows in Bangkok and upcountry to introduce the service to a broad range of businesses. Other supplementary services that we offer to SME customers include Krungsri Business Matching, Krungsri Business Journey in Japan, and Krungsri ASEAN LINK.
“Amid the slow economic recovery and the relentless challengs to Thailand’s future economic growth, we target a SME loan growth of around 2-3%. Krungsri will keep on delivering products and services that go beyond traditional banking, staying shoulder-to-shoulder with SME customers to ensure they can effectively navigate daily business operations. Futhermore, we aim to equip them to capture opportunities and stride towards sustainable growth,” Miss Duangkamol concluded.