The regulations require foreign banks to buy more than one bank, and that the targets must not be strong institutions. While Indonesia has very high potential for KBank and the takeover of local banks is an option, the requirement that foreign banks have to purchase more than one bank is something that it might not be particularly comfortable with, he said. The Bank of Thailand acknowledges this concern, he said, adding that market entry via the Qualified Asean Banks (QAB) scheme is another potential solution for KBank. The best solution right now for KBank is therefore seen as the continued partnership with two local banks in Indonesia, he explained. Lending growth, meanwhile, supported net interest income, for which KBank recorded year-on-year growth of 5.5 per cent to Bt89.67 billion.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 18, 2017 18:04 UTC