Mr. Winyou Chaiyawan, Chief Executive Officer of Thai Credit Retail Bank, said as the leading retail bank in Thailand, TCRB is striving to provide the best financial service to micro-SME owners across the country. TCRB's "Everyone Matters" brand philosophy is a key guideline for the Bank's operations and focuses on micro-SMEs, the core economic units of the country, such as small grocery stores and shops in fresh markets, which do not have access to financial services available from large commercial banks. TCRB addresses the needs of this overlooked but vital market segment. As a result, the Bank has achieved strong financial performance and a position as the country's fastest-growing bank over the last five years.
"TCRB's core value is to stand by our customers during difficult times. The Bank focuses on promoting and supporting nano and micro-SME owners in both good times and in periods of crisis. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, TCRB implemented measures to help thousands of customers with short and long-term restructurings, as well as offering loans at special interest rates to relieve their financial burdens while encouraging customers to sustain their businesses. A feedback survey found that customers trust TCRB and are satisfied with our efficient processes and services that meet their requirements. This includes our 'Tang-To-Know-How' project which is certified as a quality management training course offered by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The course, designed to improve the financial knowledge of small-sized enterprise operators, both TCRB's customers and non-customers, had more than 65,000 participants over the last five years, helping enhance their business operations and development. TCRB will continue to support, strengthen and stand side-by-side with micro-SME owners across the country as a valued financial partner," said Mr. Winyou.
Mr. Roy Agustinus Gunara, Managing Director of Thai Credit Retail Bank, said, "At TCRB, we aim to become the best micro bank in Thailand because we are committed and passionate about providing the best for our customers. Despite the Covid crisis, our team continues to deliver stunning growth and financial performance."
TCRB will move forward through a focused three-pillar strategy:
Pillar One: Customer Centricity - TCRB's employees are deeply rooted in the markets themselves so they can observe and best understand customers. The Bank's business models are designed with customers first and foremost, delivering for its customers in a manner that is simple for them, reducing customer pain points and providing them the best opportunities. TCRB simply puts customers as number one.
Pillar Two: Operational Efficiency - TCRB has only 25 deposit branches (most are in Bangkok), with 500 lending branches nationwide covering customer micro segments. This leads to a low-cost and efficient business model that allows the Bank to offer benefits back to its customers and deliver healthy returns to its shareholders, providing sustainable growth for TCRB's future.
Pillar Three: Culture - All TCRB employees ensure that all customers, no matter how small, are valued as part of the Everyone Matters philosophy. The Bank's team strongly believes in delivering the best for customers, breathes the productivity and efficiencies of the business models, and considers every individual as important, delivering on the brand philosophy that Everyone Matters.
Not only has TCRB become the fastest-growing bank in Thailand over the past five years—it has also delivered one of the highest returns through outstanding financial performance despite the impact of COVID-19 and has gone beyond industry standards. In 2021, TCRB had a net profit of 1,935 million baht, an increase of 41% compared to the same period in 2020. TCRB had loans of 98.2 billion baht, an increase of 43% compared to the same period in 2020 with continued support for over 250,000 customers during the pandemic.
The Bank also saw significant and continuous improvements in overall productivity, cost efficiencies and synergies in resource management, improving its cost-to-income ratio from 49.9% to 42.3%. Despite the impact of COVID-19, TCRB has continued to see strong and resilient growth among small business owners, especially through TCRB's Loan Assistance Program that was also promoted by the Bank of Thailand. This provided TCRB with a satisfactory 2.9% NPL ratio, reinforcing the Bank's portfolio quality and risk management and placing TCRB among the top banks in the industry.
Mr. Natus Kittawaranon, Assistant Managing Director of TCRB's Micro SME Business Group, said TCRB is committed to helping the micro-SME segment, a group of small-sized enterprise operators and one of the key groups driving Thailand's steady economic growth. This segment accounts for more than 85% of the country's overall businesses but is experiencing financial problems, so needs help to overcome difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic. The meaning of TCRB's Standby campaign is to stand with customers during this crisis by providing SME Kla Hai Standby OD loans to micro-SMEs to enable increased flexibility in doing business and serving as a capital reserve fund which entrepreneurs can immediately access when needed.
As part of the Standby campaign, TCRB plans to build a community of SME operators through the Thai Credit SME Kla Hai website and Facebook page to serve as a source of knowledge and provide relevant news, including training courses, to increase the business skills of its customers, exchange knowledge and create new business development ideas. TCRB will also have a Standby Assistant to consult with customers and organize a Privilege program offering benefits in other areas besides credit for micro-SME business customers.
To encourage its customers and operators as well as the public to overcome challenges during this difficult time, TCRB teamed up with Boyd Kosiyabong, a renowned singer and songwriter, to compose a song entitled "Standby." It highlights how customers can rest assured there is always someone who will stand by them during a crisis, offering help and support. The song was sung by Pod-Thanachai Ujjin and Rudklao Amratisha.
Watch the Standby music video on the Thai Credit SME Kla Hai YouTube channel and on the Thai Credit SME Kla Hai Facebook page. The song is also available on popular platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Joox, and YouTube Music, and can be heard on radio stations nationwide.
Source: ABM Connect