Bangkok--5 May--KASIKORNBANK
Mr. Banthoon Lamsam, Chairman Emeritus of KASIKORNBANK, announced the launch of two additional projects to benefit society. Through initiation of the “Special Stipend for Front-line Medical Personnel” program, the Kasikornthai Foundation has offered funds to boost morale and provide support for healthcare personnel and officers. This pilot project will be implemented in 45 hospitals across the five southernmost provinces where there is a high rate of COVID-19 transmission. A total of 5,083 medical personnel will each receive 4,000 Baht a month for a 3-month period. This project is expected to help 20,000 personnel through a fund totaling 300 million Baht. Concurrently, the “Zero Interest-rate Loan to Retain SME Staff” program is also being launched to aid small SMEs with fewer than 200 employees. SME customers are invited to join the program and make contributions to the fund for maintaining employees’ income and businesses’ upkeep – with a zero interest-rate loan, which has no fees and requires no collateral, for a 10-year loan term and 1-year grace period of principal repayment. The loan limit for each SME is tied to its number of employees. Each employee will receive 8,000 Baht a month for a period of three months, with a loan limit of 1 billion Baht. More than 1,000 SME operators are now participating in this program, and it is expected to save 41,000 jobs.