SCBAM eyes 3-5% growth in assets

SCB Asset Management (SCBAM) aims to grow its assets under management (AUM) by 3-5% this year from 1.6 trillion baht recorded in 2022.

Chief executive Narongsak Plodmechai brushed aside any impact from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in the United States.

"We realised minimal impact from the SVB collapse as SCBAM has a small investment exposure in the bank through a master fund," he said on Thursday.

SCBAM reduced investment in US financials before SVB collapsed because of concerns about the financial status of small institutions there.

As a result, the company took preventive action by avoiding investment in this group, said Mr Narongsak.

The US banking turmoil should eventually be controlled, with SCBAM projecting the stock market to recover in the second half after the US and European crises settle.

The firm recommends investment in long-term US government bonds during the period of rate hikes as they are expected to have a return of 3-5% per year with low risk.

"We believe the US can control the situation. It's a great opportunity to invest in assets with less risk, such as long-term US government bonds with high yields. The US dollar is a safe asset during the financial crisis in the West," he said.

SCBAM remains overweight on emerging stock markets, especially in Asia, including the Thai bourse. The Thai market still has political issues that need to be monitored, said Mr Narongsak.

The company's short-term strategy to achieve AUM growth relies on having good, diverse products.

SCBAM also plans to increase distribution channels and sales agents, improving service quality through providing investment advice to help investors plan their portfolios.

The company wants to become the top player in the industry this year by creating stable returns for investors, having channels and products that meet the needs of different customers, and offering integrated services.

Last year SCBAM registered total AUM of 1.61 trillion baht with a market share of 19.6%.

Of the total, mutual funds, private funds and provident funds contributed 892, 535 and 183 billion baht, respectively.