Krungthai Bank (KTB) hopes to secure the third place of banks that make the highest operating profit before reserve this year even the lending growth might be flat and the rising NPLs from SME sector, its president Vorapak Tanyawong said.
In the first five months, KTB’ loan witnessed a drop of 2.4 per cent, which Vorapak said that even the customers have demand in credit, their debt service ratio is failed to access lending. While, the bank wants to control quality of customers, which the NPLs of retail customers so far this year have become stable after surging much in the year before.
Year to date, the NPL rose by Bt20 billion, making the overall of NPL at KTB still in the upward trend because SMEs especially enterprises with annual turnover of Bt500 million have turned to NPLs, which most of those are in steel, auto part and seafood businesses.
“KTB should not aggressive in this time due we have to focus on risk management to control the NPLs,” he said.
KTB is in the well place to receive benefit from the government investment and the latter should be the key of loan growth to the state run commercial bank, which Vorapak hopes that if the government can go on its projects as schedule, the second half should better than the first half. Yet, in his views, KTB should set conservative style by increasing reserves as the buffer to lessen the debt default and offer help to borrowers who are going to the bad debt rather than make the aggressive style to chase lending.
Vorapak recently has receives "Financier of the Year 2016" award from Money & Banking Magazine, said that the bank is able to make profit from the lower funding cost, the interest income from the existing customers and the non interest income from fees.
“We still believe the profit before reserve is in the well place and we could rank the third of banks that have highest profit before reserve for two years consecutively,” he said.
Last year, KTB had profit before reserve of Bt65.68 billion, while the second – Kasikornban reported Bt80.86 billion and Siam Commercial Bank at of Bt88.46 billion.
He said that KTB has non-interest income only 30 per cent, lower than the major banks, making it has smaller impact from the PromptPay. If compare to the cash management, the bank will also reduce this cost as well, he added.
Under the PromptPay, fee charge will be exempted to the sender who will transfer money in amount of no more than Bt5,000.
Yet, the implement of PromptPay will be started in November, which Vorapak said that such of impact from the PromptPay will be seen in 2017.
KTB will seek for transactional fee from cash management to the private companies and the government sector, which the bank branch will be the payment channel to motorists who pay the traffic fine ticket, he added.