Bangkok--May 17--SET
The 5th ‘Money Expo 2005’ is going to take place more magnificently than ever. Commercial banks will offer competitive promotions -- including 0% interest package for loans. The SET will have its “Investment Lifestyle” showcase for new as well as experienced investors, while seminars will be fully slotted throughout the 4-day event. Catch investment tips from brokerage and investment management firms. Shop for numerous goods and services plus receive a chance to bring home a car when purchasing goods or applying for loan services. Home loan users will be entitled to win a house! Don’t miss this event on May 19 — 22, 2005 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. At least THB50 bln. in transactions is expected to be generated during the Expo from 600,000 visitors.
Mr. Santi Viriyarungsarit, Editor-in-Chief of Money & Banking Magazine, who chairs the committee hosting the 5th “Money Expo 2005: Brighter Future”, said that the Expo will be even greater than in the past years. The event is scheduled for May 19 — 22, 2005 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC). About 200 participating organizations will be investing a considerable amount of budget and staff to provide the best deals and services at this Expo.
Mr. Santi noted that besides the booths of participating organizations specially designed for the event, visitors will also enjoy shopping around for numerous promotional deals, such as the “0% package” for loans or the ‘get a home loan, win another home’ campaign.
“This year, there’ll be special promotion where every person who purchases goods or services in the Plenary Hall, Zone C, Plaza Zone, and Hall A areas of the QSNCC will have his/her name entered in a drawing to win a Toyota VIOS car and other fine prizes worth more than a million baht in total.”
At Money Expo 2004, there were more than 600,000 visitors, generating applications for financial services worth approximately THB54.00 bln. Therefore it is expected that Money Expo 2005 will draw at least the same number of visitors and produce transactions worth at least equal to those made at last year’s event.
There are nearly 200 participating organizations in Money Expo 2005, including 12 commercial banks, 4 state-owned banks, 6 non-bank financial firms, 10 life insurance/assurance firms; a total of 12 finance, leasing, securities, and investment management firms; 8 private corporations, 12 government organizations and an additional 100 shops.
Activities at the Money Expo 2005 will be divided into 3 areas:
1) Plenary Halls 1-3 will house comprehensive financial services, e.g., credit cards, personal credit, home loans, loans for SMEs, car loans, life insurance/assurance, mutual funds, and opening of stock trading account.
2) Investment Education activities from The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET)
Hall A: There will be booths set up by the SET and its subsidiaries, displaying the following themes:
‘Investing in Your Own Style’ by the mai (Market for Alternative Investment), Bond Electronic Exchange (BEX), and Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX).
‘Using Media Resources to Help Gain Wealth’ by Thailand Securities Institute (TSI)
‘Money Channel: All About Your Money’ by Family Know-How Co., Ltd.
‘e-Dividend Service’ by Thailand Securities Depository Co., Ltd. (TSD)
‘Internet Trading’ by SETTRADE.Com Co., Ltd.
The Agricultural Exchange of Thailand (AFET) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will also join in Hall A.
Ballroom: The ‘Wishes Upon the Moon’ stage play, featuring the theme “closer family ties”, will be shown twice daily. Large seminar sessions will also be held in this room.
Meeting Room 1-4: Seminars for special groups will be held. Both new and experienced investors can selectively choose to attend the sessions of their choices.
3) Zone C and Plaza areas will have brand name and household products available, as well as premium goods from the ‘One Tambon, One Product’ project. The Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, Kasikornbank, Bank of Ayudhya, SME Bank, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, plus their corporate customers and alliances will be offering goods and services with special promotions. The non-bank firms such as Capital OK, Easy Buy, AEON, and Cetelem will be setting booths on the upper floor of Zone C.
Banks to Offer Competitive Promotions
Responsive to Consumer Demands
Mr. Santi said that Money Expo 2005 will be very special, because all participating organizations have invested a lot in developing their booths and will be offering competitive deals or campaigns. Products and services will be designed to serve the investment lifestyles of people in the younger generation. Highlights will include promotions for personal, business, and home loans; credit cards, and life insurance contracts. There will be various prizes and giveaways for visitors and customers.
Personal Loans: Special promotions/premiums include an electrical appliance with each THB1 mln. loan taken out or getting travel insurance with no further documents required. Interested persons can also apply for loans as high as THB10 mln. or 90% of their collateral. People will be able to get a loan for up to 8 years with a 0% interest rate during the first 3 months. Approved loan applications will also receive free accident insurance and get their loan administration and credit examination fees waived. People will be notified of the results of their applications within only 45 minutes. Approved applications up to THB100,000 will be paid in cash at the Expo, without having to wait for a bank transfer.
Business/Commercial loans: SMEs interested in loans for franchising or working capital will be exempted from loan administration fees and receive a credit card with no initial or annual fees. There’ll also be a special loan for SME businesses in the ready-made clothing industry which are stopping their use of chemicals which affect the ozone layers. Upon the loan’s approval, they will get a free ventilation system plus installation service. A 3% loan throughout the contract period plus a free CD will also be offered to 300 business opportunities.
Home loans: Special low interest rates will be offered, including various flexible loan contracts. Among these special conditions, applicants will be able to get up to 100% of their assessment values and their loan periods extended up to 35 years. The loan’s full amount will initially get a low 9.99% per annum during the first 6 months, and then 0.69% per month for the remainder of the loan period. Approved applications for loans in the NPA projects, and those from existing home loan customers, will get the MLR rate throughout their 10-year contracts. Furthermore, for every loan approved, the applicants will get premiums such as 21-inch televisions. The application referrals will get a gift voucher worth THB5,000 — 40,000, or an aroma candle gift set or mini-washer.
Credit cards: Credit card applicants will get their initial and annual fees waived for 3 years, plus special credit rates and conditions. These will be offered for both core and supplemental cards. 10 special drawing prizes will be given away daily, worth THB140,000 in total.
Savings accounts: Every savings account opened with THB5,000 or more will be entitled to an accident insurance policy worth 20 times the saving account’s balance. The latest ATM cards, with licensed STAR WARS Episode III: Revenge of the Sixth, will be available. Applicants for saving accounts, ATM cards and VISA Electron cards will be given either a pouch or clock. 20 Internet usage hours will also be granted, free of charge, to applicants of online services.
Utilities fee payment services: People paying their utilities fees by credit cards at the banks’ booths will receive promotions and discounts, plus a chance to bring home some big prizes.
Special prices for goods/services: The banks’ associated corporations will be offering goods and services at special prices in the Zone C area. These will include the OTOP products, mobile phones, and tour packages, which will be offered with special promotions and 0% interest payments, over extended periods, when customers use their credit cards.
Mutual fund units and insurance policies: Various types of mutual funds will be available, e.g., the Smart Active SET100 and the Open-Ended Capital Protection Fund. People purchasing insurance services will get a 15.16 gram gold necklace (for a THB1 mln. policy or greater) and 3.79 gram gold necklace (for a THB0.5 mln. policy). There’ll also be a THB100.00 discount for third party insurance. Coupons from Black Canyon Restaurants will also be given away.
Car and other prizes: The Expo visitors will be entitled to enter a drawing to win one of two Toyota Vios cars, plus a chance to bring home various other prizes, e.g., a flat-screen 21-inch television, an accident insurance policy, holiday accommodations in Pattaya and Khon Kaen, health check coupons for Bangkok Hospital and T-shirts designed by entertainment artists.
Social and other activities: People applying for credit cards and spend will have a chance to contribute to the Red Cross Society. Every credit card usage, or THB100 donation, will entitle the person to enter into a lucky draw. The total worth of all the draws is approximately THB1 mln. Prizes include DVD players, mobile phones, fuel vouchers, restaurant vouchers, and gift vouchers for leading department stores.
SET to Highlight ‘Investment Lifestyle’ Concept…Investing with Style
Mr. Kittiratt Na-Ranong, SET President, said that the SET and its alliance partners will present all their activities using the theme ‘investment lifestyle…investing with style’, presenting investment choices suited to different people’s lifestyles. These activities, which have been especially developed for Expo visitors, should definitely attract them.
Furthermore, there’ll be exhibitions, stage plays, and seminars held throughout the 4-day event. The ‘Wish Upon the Moon’ play will be performed by well-known actors twice a day, at 10.00-11.45 a.m. and 2.00-3.45 p.m.; except on May 19, the grand opening day, when only the afternoon session will be available. There will be a total of 7 performances, accommodating 3,500 people. Interested persons can get tickets by donating only THB40. They will also receive a pocket book worth THB100.
For the seminar sessions held in the Ballroom and Meeting Rooms 1-4, there will be a variety of interesting topics for both new and sophisticated investors. Interesting topics for new investors will include ‘When You’re Ready for Investing, What to Invest In’, ‘How to Get Started Wisely’, and ‘Catching Investment Beats with Technical Tips’. Sophisticated investors can choose to attend ‘How to Beat the Market’, ‘Analyzing the Market in the Year’s Second Half’, ‘Invest Like a Guru’, and ‘Learning to Study the Market on Your Own’.
For those interested in investing through mutual funds, there will be topics like ‘How to Allocate Wealth When Interest Rates and Oil Prices Rise, ‘Property Funds’, and ‘How to Boost Your Saving’s Value’. Experts from investment management companies will be providing advice about managing personal and family finances.
For people looking for more alternatives, seminars on bonds, derivatives, and commodity futures will also be available.
People interested in Internet trading can enjoy the SETTRADE booth where online technology and stock trading will be provided. Visitors will learn more about online information services and self-study channels, such as web-based and mobile facilities. The ‘SET Stock Channel’ will be introduced through the new ‘buddy broadband’ technology.
The TSD will make it easier for investors, by offering services at the TSD Counter Service and requiring only their ID card for examining their personal data and issuing PIN codes for them. Furthermore, the e-Dividend service will be available at the Expo as well.
The Expo’s visitors will also have a great chance to make a social contribution to tsunami relief. By donating only THB40, they will get one of these pocket books in return— ‘Investment Strategies’, ‘Getting Sustainable Wealth Through the Property Funds’, ‘What You Need to Know to Get Rich Vol.4: Knowing Investment Beats’, and ‘Investing in Bonds’. Also, visitors will get a 30% discount on purchases of SET publications at the Hall A area daily throughout the 4-day event.
The 2004 annual reports of listed companies in the SET100 and a handbook on how to save energy will also be available. People will be able to learn more about simple ways of energy saving, and start saving money immediately.
For more information,
please contact the Corporate Communication Dept.:
Ladawan Kantawong Tel: 0-2229-2036
Kulvida Jintakawong Tel: 0-2229-2037
Nattaporn Boonprapa Tel: 0-2229-2049
Watsamon Saowakhonsathien Tel: 0-2229-2797 End.