Corporate
HSBC, Bank of Nova Scotia Said to Bid for Thailand’s Siam City
HSBC Holdings Plc, Bank of Nova Scotia and Hong Leong Bank Bhd. are among bidders for a stake in Siam City Bank Pcl, Thailand’s seventh-biggest lender by assets, four people familiar with the matter said.
Bank of Nova Scotia made the offer together with its local affiliate Thanachart Bank Pcl, which owns 4.9 percent of Siam City Bank, the people said, declining to be identified as the talks are private. Thailand’s central bank is seeking about $1 billion for its 47.6 percent stake, people with knowledge of the matter said last month.
Thailand, wracked by violent political protests in the past two years, is easing restrictions on foreign ownership of banks to encourage investment and boost competition in the financial industry. Siam City Bank’s higher cost of funding puts it at a disadvantage to larger local rivals, said Anne Jirajariyavech, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Bangkok.
via HSBC, Bank of Nova Scotia Said to Bid for Thailand’s Siam City – Bloomberg.com.
Corporate
Covid-19 puts flexible space markets under strain
In the wake of operator defaults, landlords will be forced to re-evaluate the role of flexible space in their portfolios.

The global Covid-19 outbreak has had serious negative effects on commercial real estate, including flexible space. Of late, many operators have experienced the flexible nature of the business working against them, as many occupiers have opted to surrender desks and implement work-from-home plans.
(more…)Business
Thailand’s automotive sector expected to produce 1.4m cars this year
This increase in output is a result of the recovery of domestic and export markets, with the annual output for 2021 expected to be around 1.4 million.

Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI) anticipates the overall output from Thailand’s automotive sector this year to be around 1.4 million cars. They are, however, still cautious over automobile exports until at least March this year, due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases around the world.
(more…)Corporate
Giant Thai-Chinese wholesale hub opens in Bangkok’s Pratunam
The region’s largest wholesale hub features products from China at wholesale prices, and products from Thai manufacturers to export to China.
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