The State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo) looks set to divest Finance Ministry shares in 25 non-listed firms, with a total estimated value of 20 billion baht.
According to Tibordee Wattanakul, Sepo's director-general, the plan to dispose of the Finance Ministry's shares held in non-listed companies by Sepo is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The plan will be proposed to the Finance Ministry for further consideration, he said.
The first meeting of the advisory committee concerning the sale of shares of the Finance Ministry was held last week. Mr Tibordee chaired the meeting. This aligns with the policy of Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul to consider the framework for selling shares of companies not listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) held by the Finance Ministry.
Initially, the plan involves some 25 non-listed companies with shares held by the Finance Ministry, with a total value of about 20 billion baht, that are scheduled to be sold.
Mr Tibordee said holding shares of some unlisted firms not only fails to generate additional revenue for the state but also incurs maintenance costs. Therefore, it is necessary to consider ways to maximise the state's benefits from holding such securities, he said.
Currently, securities held by the Finance Ministry, both those listed on the stock exchange (excluding state enterprises) and those that are not, comprise 33 securities listed on the bourse, 41 unlisted securities and another 41 securities acquired through legal proceedings such as asset seizures.
The total value of these securities is roughly 400 billion baht, with 340 billion baht of this within the Vayupak Fund and the remainder being other securities.
Sepo collected revenue from state enterprises amounting to around 156 billion baht for the nine months of this fiscal year, or as of June 2024. The nine-month figure represented 89% of the annual target set by Sepo of 175 billion baht.
This included an additional 11.3 billion baht in revenue from Vayupak Fund 1's dividend received in June.