Best bank - Bangkok Bank
Best equity house - Asset Plus Securities
Best debt house - Siam Commercial Bank
Thailand was one of the few countries in the region to experience an upturn in corporate lending in the past year. On the retail side, consumers have also been helping to drive the economy on. Other positive developments include the establishment of the Thai Asset Management Company and the transfer of non-performing loans from the state-owned banks to this entity. This is building competition. But for now Bangkok Bank maintains its supremacy as the best bank in Thailand. Its branch network is still the strongest, with 600 branches. In addition, the bank has doubled the number of micro branches located in superstores, universities and office blocks. No other bank comes close to this kind of extensive coverage. Bangkok Bank's ATM network is also renowned as Thailand's most modern and technologically advanced. And this coverage is paying off. It has the largest retail deposit base, with 12 million accounts and a market share of 22%.
Asset Plus Securities, the winner of the best equity house award, set a thundering pace throughout 2002 and has managed to maintain its position as a force to be reckoned with in the domestic IPO market in 2003.