The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) plans to launch this year Live Exchange, a funding platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, as well as the Thai Digital Assets Exchange (TDX) to develop a more inclusive capital market for Thai businesses of all sizes and scales.
The bourse also unveiled its 2022-24 strategic plan on Tuesday under the concept "Connecting opportunities x Transforming possibilities" with the goal of revolutionising and connecting the capital market to ensure growth and sustainability for both businesses and society.
According to Pakorn Peetathawatchai, president of the SET, the bourse will promote the business sector's role in protecting the environment and developing society towards sustainability, mainly through three strategies: bridging seamless opportunities across all segments; bonding innovative infrastructure with trust; and branching financial sustainability for Thais.
He said to provide more opportunities for both businesses and investors, the SET aims to be a fundraising venue for businesses, steering towards new economy industries.
The bourse also wants to offer more global capital market-linked products, allowing Thais the chance to invest in foreign stocks at lower costs.
The SET wants Live Exchange to provide SMEs and startups more access to funding sources in the first quarter this year, while TDX is scheduled to begin in the third quarter, catering to the new generation's growing interest in digital assets.
Mr Pakorn said the stock exchange also aims to promote the listing of foreign companies, develop a platform for social enterprises to raise capital, and encourage listed companies of all sizes to adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the way they do business.
The SET wants to make the capital market more accessible by simplifying the procedures for opening trading accounts, encouraging retail investors to use a digital platform for trading, and offering small-ticket investment products to attract young investors.
Furthermore, the company wants to provide local investors with more opportunities to invest in foreign stocks through various products such as exchange-traded funds, depositary receipts, derivative warrants and other fractional products that are expected to be available for trade at the beginning of the third quarter, he said.
In terms of infrastructure, the SET plans to expand and create a reliable and efficient digital infrastructure to serve investors' changing lifestyles.
The ESG Data Platform will be initiated to provide investors with useful information regarding investment in sustainable stocks, said Mr Pakorn.
The SET is collaborating with educational institutions to develop more courses on ESG to raise public awareness about the criteria, as well as joining hands with various organisations to offer ESG standard courses.