Of those, 40 will go to the SET and 24 to the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI).

This is part of the SET's plan to raise total market capitalisation next year to Bt5.62 trillion, from the current Bt5.5 trillion.

So far this year, only 13 new companies listed on the bourses: 11 in the SET and two in the MAI.

The SET has already approved four more listings, but those companies have yet to decide whether to follow through this year, while another 11 are awaiting the SET approval.

The SET's three-year-plan stipulates it should have a total of 5 million investor accounts next year.

Currently, there are 1.05 million stock trading accounts, 805,000 accounts in equity mutual funds, 1.7 million accounts in provident funds and 1.17 million Government Pension Fund members, totalling 4.725 million accounts.

These should increase to 5 million next year, with active trading accounts rising to 200,000 from between 120,000 and 150,000 now.

The SET will also push listed companies' free floats to 50 per cent and add at least three market-makers by next year's third quarter.

The MAI expects companies involved in animation production, nanotechnology and biodiesel provision to list next year.

Five companies seeking to list in the MAI have already received the nod from stock regulators, while another six await approval. The Thailand Futures Exchange plans to add one more product next year, the Options Index, and hopes trading volume will increase from 1,000 contracts per day now to between 5,500 and 6,000.

The Bond Electronic Exchange plans to complete a cross-border trading system by 2009 and will enter discussions with other exchanges in the region.

SET president Patareeya Benjapholchai said the global market trend was exchanges working together.

"Of the total revenues in developed markets, 47 per cent was generated from derivatives, 44 per cent from securities and the rest from bonds and other instruments," she said.

Piyarat Setthasiriphaiboon

The Nation