Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanich on Thursday said he
planned to meet with top executives of Thailand’s commercial banks ‘soon’ to
discuss a possible reduction of service fees and an interest spread.
Korn said he had met and discussed the issue with Bangkok
Bank president Chatsiri Sophonpanich, chairman of the Thai Bankers
Association, earlier this week, and prepared to talk with members of the
association regarding the possible decrease in service fees and the interest
spread to an appropriate level in due course as well as a way to develop and
strengthen Thailand’s banking sector.
The minister said Chatsiri told him he was liaising with
management in each commercial bank to join the discussion and exchange views
on the matter.
On Wednesday evening he told an audience of media and
business professionals at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand that
service fees in Thai were higher than in any other country in the region,
and suggested that it was detrimental to doing business here.
“Actually, it is the duty of the Bank of Thailand to talk
with commercial banks about reducing service fees and the interest spread.
So, if we want to do that, we need to discuss with BoT governor-designate
Prasarn Trairattanavorakul as well to ensure prevailing justice for all
parties,” he said. (MCOT online news)
