TMBThanachart Bank
In banking and finance, timing is everything. When TMB and Thanachart Bank announced their merger in 2019, it made sense: two strong names joining forces to create Thailand’s sixth-largest bank.
A year later, timing didn’t seem to be on the side of the combined TMBThanachart Bank as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the global financial system. Yet, to the credit of the team led by CEO Piti Tantakasem, the bank arguably emerged stronger and more competitive than sceptics thought possible.
That was particularly so for TTB’s thriving corporate business, led by Saranya Phuphatana as chief commercial banking officer.
The pandemic did not slow down efforts to combine the bank’s financial experience with its vast range of products and service channels.
A delicate balance was needed in the bank’s contribution to supporting the large corporates at the top of the food chain that generate much of Thailand’s GDP and the smaller enterprises which employ most of the local population.
Thailand’s roughly 6,000 substantial companies account for 58% of total GDP, whereas its 3 million SMEs generate 42% of GDP.