Finansa Syrus Securities (FSS) aims to expand its share of the brokerage market to 5 per cent this year, partly through the opening of three new offices in Bangkok despite growing concerns about the Thai market's attractiveness.
Managing director Kuntra Ladavalya na Ayudhya said the target - against the current 4.19-per-cent share - would make FSS one of the top five players in the local industry.
Most of the expansion would come from existing clients, 90 per cent of which are retail investors still subject to the 0.25-per-cent commission fee.
"The sliding-scale commission fee has slashed the company's revenue by 15 per cent. We therefore want to maintain our customer base, as 90 per cent of them are still paying 0.25 per cent of the transaction value," he said.
To accommodate retail investors, three more branches will be opened in Bangkok to bring the total to 28.
Kuntra said retail investors were the heart of the company, and FSS would strengthen its advisory services for them. So far, these clients have never asked for a lower commission fee as long as they are satisfied with service quality, he said.
FSS accommodates 17,000 accounts, and 20 per cent are active. They are served by about 400 |marketing officers, who are being trained on the different types of products to better satisfy customers' preferences.
The executive said FSS had conducted seminars to reach out to target customer groups.
In January, it provided a session on financial management for more than 100 physicians at Rajavithi Hospital. Presented to the participants were savings and stock investment tips, as well as information on derivatives which could help minimise investment risks to investors and generate new revenue to the company.
