Somwang Sabai Jai currently has a loan portfolio of Bt200 million, which is deemed sufficient for controlling operating costs, he said. Prevailing economic conditions were another reason for Hi-Way to slow down its micro-finance, as this type of lending is unsecured and the company might face rising operating costs from debt collection from borrowers who are small vendors, he explained. Therefore, Hi-Way needs to review its micro-finance plan and be clear about the full conditions for operating a pico-finance business before deciding its next step, Supachai said. Hi-Way targets having 300 branches within the next three to five years – double the current number. Last year, Hi-Way missed its outstanding-loan target of Bt8 billion because many customers repaid their debt before maturity, leaving it with outstanding lending of Bt6 billion at the end of December, Supachai added.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 27, 2016 18:02 UTC