Thailand

A worthy winner of the award this year is Phatra Securities, part of Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group, and a long-standing partner of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. A full-service investment bank, with more than 30 years of history, Phatra offers a wide range of wealth management services to high net-worth clients with investable assets of more than Bt30 million ($900,000), from stocks and derivatives to mutual funds and structured products.

Bank of Ayudhya is not the largest bank in Thailand, but it’s by far the most nimble, and the lender that has invested heavily in its digital platform.

Few Thai lenders – indeed, few regional financial institutions – can claim to have given as much back to the community over the years as Bank of Ayudhya. Since its formation 68 years ago, and long before the concept was given a name and an acronym, Bank of Ayudhya has remained resolutely committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Bangkok Bank is a stalwart of Thailand’s banking community, renowned for being ultra-loyal to its customers, who have a happy tendency to return the favour.

Credit Suisse’s commitment to southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is undoubted. The Swiss firm’s plans to focus on the ultra- and super-high net-worth sectors and to mesh its private banking operations with its broader business are bearing fruit.

Thailand can be a tough place in which to operate, but Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) can at times make it look easy, with profits up last year and non-performing loans down. But it’s the lender’s twin beating hearts – corporate banking and investment banking – that really pump the blood around the body.

Two lenders stand out above the fray in Thailand: Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) and Kasikornbank. Both are focused, driven, ambitious, and better than their peers at squeezing a little bit extra out of a tough banking market and an underperforming economy.