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Message
from the President
Mrs. Kesara Manchusree
President
Over the course of the past four decades, the Stock
Exchange of Thailand (SET) has remained committed
to developing and upgrading the Thai capital market
in all its myriad aspects so as to expand business
opportunities for all stakeholders. The year 2014 was
no exception and proved to be particularly successful.
For example, SET excelled as a fundraising source
for businesses, welcoming 45 newly listed securities,
ranging from mega projects to small and medium-sized
family businesses, with the total market capitalization
registered THB 304.8 billion (USD 9.24 billion) at
IPO price, the highest value in ASEAN for the second
consecutive year. In addition, SET continued to be
an attractive investment venue for local and foreign
investors, reporting an average securities-trading
turnover of THB 45.47 billion, the highest in the ASEAN
region for three consecutive years. Moreover, the trad-
ing volume of Thailand Futures Exchange PCL (TFEX)
reached as high as 147,025 futures contracts per day,
a 116 percent increase from the year before.
SET has always continuously enhanced the IT
infrastructure in order to support future expansion and
match international standards. In 2014, TFEX started
using the new trading and clearing system, on the
same integrated platform as the current SET CONNECT
equities trading, enabling investors to trade across asset
classes efficiently. On top of this, the new depository
and clearing system will start operating in 2015 with
world-class technology and efficiency so as to ensure
speedy connections and international transactions,
another step forward towards on the road to becoming
a digital exchange.
Investor coverage expanded significantly in 2014. The
number of securities accounts increased substantially
and reached one million accounts for the first time. To
expand the quality investor base, SET has continuously
joined hand with both market participants and other
strategic alliances. During the past decade, a plenty of
jointed marketing and education projects were initiated
and materialized. Such concerted efforts on marketing
business development, communication and education
in form of online campaigns and offline activities via
conventional financial service distributions, were
contributable enormously to building up investment
culture among Thai people nationwide. Moreover,
emphasis was also placed on developing securities
business professionals, equipped with updated and
professional skills and expertise ready to efficiently
educate investors.
In 2014, SET continued to foster the observance of
environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles
by all stakeholders in the capital market, especially
listed firms. SET has therefore continuously provided
knowledge and consultations on ESG. Today, Thai listed
firms are recognized at regional and international levels
such as ASEAN CG Scorecard (ASEAN Capital Market
Forum); CGWatch (ASEANCGAssociation); and CG-ROSE
(World Bank), as well as the Dow Jones Sustainable
Indices.
The Thai capital market is built on a solid foundation:
a quality investor base, a wide variety of quality products
and services, as well as world-class infrastructure
to facilitate stakeholders. However, building on this
solid foundation for prosperity requires a global, as
well as regional, perspective. As SET advances into its
fifth decade amid the advent of the ASEAN Economic
Community, various SET-initiated cooperation programs
with the Greater Mekong Subregion nations will serve to
enhance regional capital market expertise and corporate
governance. SET is committed to taking up a true
“connector” role, growing together in the region in a
sustainable manner, while contributing to the ASEAN
Economic Community and the global village as a whole.