Easing Of Currency Exchange Controls To Help Curb Baht Volatility

Easing of currency exchange controls to help curb baht volatility: BoT BANGKOK: -- Feb 2 (TNA) – Bank of Thailand (BoT) Deputy Governor Bandid Nijathaworn on Monday affirmed the central bank’s decision to ease the regulations governing the currency exchange control would help increase an equilibrium of the foreign capital inflow and outflow and curb baht volatilities.

Still, he allowed whether the baht would weaken or not depended mainly on the country’s economic fundamentals.

He said the central bank allowed corporate entities to invest overseas directly in an unlimited amount. Previously, only listed companies on the stock markets were permitted to do that.

The bank also agreed to increase an investment amount in property overseas to US$10 million from $5 million, effective in late February.

In addition, the bank extended the limit to investment in overseas securities to $50 billion from $30 billion with the Securities and Exchange Commission acting to allocate investment portions to asset management companies and private funds, effective on February 2.

Simultaneously, it had facilitated the currency exchange risk management by allowing exporters and importers to lift derivative transactions undertaken to hedge against the foreign exchange risk in any case, effective on February 2.

Mr Bandit said that last year the private sector invested $23.4 billion overseas, up 30.28 per cent from $17.96 billion the year before.

Of this, $18.1 billion was investment in international securities and $5.3 billion was foreign direct investment. (TNA)

-- TNA 2010-02-02

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