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Published on August 17, 2007

Chairman Rapee Sucharitakul said yesterday the firm had been performing beyond expectations in the first half of the year following an increase in the number of customers. As a result, its market share has doubled to 1.2 per cent.

Kasikorn Securities is expecting the trend to continue, with strong expansion flowing from parent Kasikornbank's customer base.

Rapee said the company had about 5,000 accounts with a portfolio value of around Bt6 billion. He expects the value to increase to Bt10 billion with around 2,000 new customers.

Institutional investors account for 30 per cent while the remainder are retail investors. The company hopes to post a 40-per-cent increase in its customer base, concentrating on institutional investors.

In the investment banking area, Kasikorn Securities is expecting to conclude a deal as a financial adviser for an initial public offering with a market capitalisation of more than Bt10 billion. There are more than seven other deals in the offing for setting up property funds and mergers and acquisitions.

Rapee added that the successful listing of Total Access Communication securities on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in June had resulted in the company obtaining the largest market share in terms of underwriting sooner than expected.

"We've only operated for two years and this success has raised our credibility," he said.

Separately, Rapee said the concerns over the US sub-prime crisis would affect the market in the short term. He expects the problem to be solved within two to three weeks.

Siriporn Chanjindamanee

The Nation