| Thailand is considering embarking on a course which could see foreign companies listing on the SET (the Stock Exchange of Thailand) within the next three years. Thailand emerged as the leading stock exchange by capitalisation in South East Asia when the value of total share trading by the end of last year was around US$320 billion*, and this was mostly attributable to the record number of IPO’s in 2013.
Despite recent political unrest, the constitutional monarchy is seeking to up the ante on listings given its proven governance principles, its deep bench of liquidity and its reliable trading system. Given that 2013 saw a majority of listings from Thai companies whose main businesses were situated in the Greater Mekong region, the kingdom is keen to attract an influx of listings from the Mekong area including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The Thai operator is also aiming to attract investment from Australia and China. The move to open up its exchange to overseas companies would see the SET rival Singapore as Asia’s prime trading hub. * According to “Thailand stock exchange in bid to attract foreign flows”, Financial Times, 23rd December 2013. |
