Bangkok Bank Plc (BBL) said its total credit next year is expected to grow by 5-6 per cent from this year, which is similar to this year’s figure, though the Thai economy next year is expected to slow down.
“The total amount of credit extended by BBL next year is expected to grow in part with the Thai economy’s growth of between 5-6 per cent projected for 2005,” BBL executive chairman Kosit Panpiamras told reporters.
Credit extended by BBL in the first nine months of this year grew from the same year-ago period by 10.3 per cent to 914 billion baht, resulting in a whopping 31 per cent rise in BBL’s third-quarter net profit for 2004 against a total net profit of 4.63 billion baht in the second-quarter of this year, said Kosit.
Kosit expects the total amount of credit to be extended by BBL to small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) next year to grow from this year’s figure by 20 per cent or 25 billion baht.
