Asia Sermkij sees room to run in Bangkok | Bangkok Post: business

EXECUTIVE Q&A

Asia Sermkij Leasing Plc (ASK) was established in 1984 by Bangkok Bank to operate a hire-purchase business for new cars in Greater Bangkok. It subsequently expanded into used-car hire-purchase, personal loans and floor-plan financing, as well as auto registration, tax renewal and insurance services. Lo Jun-long, ASK's executive director and managing director, discusses the company's strategy and outlook.

BUSINESS
Please explain ASK's business model.

ASK was established in 1984 by the Bangkok Bank Group and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2005. Our major shareholder today is the Chailease Group of Taiwan, holding 73% of the shares. ASK provides several types of financing, such as hire-purchase loans, personal loans and floor plan financing for car dealers, to our customers in the Bangkok metropolitan area, Rayong, Samut Sakhon, Phitsanulok and nearby provinces. We also provide services such as auto registration, tax renewal and insurance services. Our subsidiary Bangkok Grand Pacific Lease Plc (BGPL) focuses more on corporate financing for operating assets of companies _ machinery and vehicle hire-purchase, leasing, domestic and international factoring.