(3) Risk-weight Amendments
The Bank of Thailand assigned new risk weights6
for assets related to retail
customers and SMEs as a market incentive for commercial banks to service these
customer segments.7
The key difference between the old and new risk-weight is that the new amendments allow commercial banks highly skilled in credit scoring, risk
management and diversifying their credit portfolio to apply lower risk-weights to
retail and consumer loans that fit the specified criteria.8
The underlying rationale concerns the fact that because retail loans consist of
many different types of small loans, this broad characteristic allows for natural
diversification with lower risk profile. Thus, the risk-weight amendment could help
reduce capital fund requirement for commercial banks with expertise in retail and
consumer loans