Billions of baht in loans and investments were transacted when 13,300 people met 32 public and private financial-services companies at the 5th Money Expo in Pattaya.
Organizers of the Feb. 6-8 event at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group’s Peach Convention Center said 12 billion baht in home and real-estate development loans were applied for, along with 1.5 billion baht in loans to small- and medium-size enterprises, and 600 million baht in savings and investments.
Officials determined 15 billion baht in loans and investments were transacted during the 5th Money Expo in Pattaya.
Finance Minister Sommai Phasee opened the fair where exhibitors included public and private banks, financial institutes, securities companies, asset-management firms, life, casualty, and health insurers; gold and gold futures companies, and car rental companies.
Attending public agencies included the Bank of Thailand, the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the Revenue Department, and the Public Debt Management Office.
Banks saw the majority of action, as they rolled out a full menu of promotions, from football travel packages to special interest rates, waived fees, free gifts and lucky draws.
On the investment side, the Security Exchange of Thailand, along with Thailand Foreign Exchange and eight leading securities firms, offered a wide range of investment channels, including stocks, futures, gold, and mutual funds under the concept “Connecting Investment Opportunities to Wealth”. They also offered consultations on appropriate financial plans for every occupation.
Santi Viriyarangsrit, managing director of Money and Banking Journal and president of the 5th Money Expo Pattaya, said the event was a huge success as thousands of people attended looking for credit and investment opportunities.
Assistant director of the event Phakhanee Viriyarangsrit said home loans were applied for the most, with more than 4,200 applicants, consistent with the development of real estate in Pattaya and the eastern region. There were also attendees interested in second-hand homes totaling more than 80 million baht while the second-most-sought loans were for SMEs.
Phakhanee added that attendees were also interested in savings with high interest rates. Hence, the government-lottery fund came in third with more than 140 million baht invested. Moreover, more than 240 million baht was invested in life and casualty insurance. Attendees also applied for car loans totaling 140 million baht.
Along with sales booths, the Expo featured a full slate of seminars on topics including how to start investing in stocks, technical analysis, real estate, and derivatives.
Speakers included Kantara Ladawan na Ayutthaya, the executive director of Finansia Syrus Securities; Kawee Chukitkasem, deputy managing director of Kasikorn Securities; Prakit Siriwattanaket, strategist and technical analyst at Asia Plus Securities Plc; and Prakasit Titaram, value investor from Stock2morrow.
The fair wasn’t all business, however. Guests were entertained by free concerts from Two Popetorn, Boy Pidsanu, Toomtam The Star, Wan Thanakrit and more.
Nadech Bunsawangdee, president of the Pattaya region for Bangkok Bank, said the institution’s transactions blew away internal targets, particularly, for home loans, which Bangkok Bank was offering decisions on in one day. There also was a promotion eliminating application fees, which contributed to the large number of applicants, he said.
Kanchana Pholwattanakitcharoen, manager for Siam Commercial Bank’s Chonburi region, stated that the bank was very satisfied with the success from the expo since a large number of people had utilized its investment services.
Home loans, again, were most popular, followed by small-business loans. Most SME customers were in the supply-chain and retail sectors, she said.
Nattaporn Jamras, deputy director for the Government Savings Bank, said home loans also were popular, due in part to a promotional interest rates of 3 percent for the first two years.
Panlop Sittisombut, deputy director for Thai Life Insurance, stated that people were very interested in short- and long-term life offerings. Most customers were from the greater Pattaya area and had high incomes.
Suree Bunthanom, financial consultant for Bangkok Life Assurance Plc, said the company was quite satisfied with its first exhibit at the Money Expo because the company gained a wider foundation of customers, presented new products and introduced its brand.
Customers were very interested in various products, including life insurance and investments, particularly its short-term BLA Premier Gain plan with an interest rate of 3.25 percent annually.
