Thailand Stock Exchange to Boost Mekong Capital Markets

The Stock Exchange of Thailand plans to launch a pan-Mekong board and index to tap growing investor interest in developing Mekong economies. The plan, however, is still in its early stages and has not yet reached the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A report from Nikkei Asian Review said the pan-Mekong board will list securities of Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, while the index will comprise Thai companies that make 10% or more of their sales from these four countries.

Conditions for listing in the pan-Mekong board may be different from regular listings, said Thai stock exchange president Kesara Manchusree in an interview with Nikkei Asian Review. "We will take into account the different accounting methods of each country and may not ask for a three-year record [of earnings] like we do for companies listing on the main board."

Thailand’s stock exchange and its regulators already have bilateral agreements with its counterparts in the Mekong region.

The Thai exchange is the second largest in Southeast Asia.

Read the full article at Nikkei Asian Review.