Exim Bank to provide more loans

The Finance Ministry has instructed the Export-Import Bank of Thailand to boost loans by 30 per cent this year.

Deputy Finance Minister Prutichai Damrongrat said on Monday the extra  money should be available next month.

The government had approved an increase in the bank's budget for stimulating the economy to five billion baht, he said.

The loans would aid exporters, boost small- and medium- enterprise  liquidity and increase the purchasing power of importers.

EXIM Bank president Apichai Boontherawara said the bank had approved loans totalling 13.37 billion baht for the export sector in the first six months of this year.  Another tranche of loans worth 13 billion baht was in the progress of the negotiation.

The bank was expected to provide more than 29 billion baht of loans throughout the year, he said.