Managing Director Siriporn Sinacharoen said three main strategies will be employed to drive growth: having the right products to match investors’ demand, joining force with Krungsri Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) for new customers, and giving good investment experience to its customers.

The company currently has a customer base of about 360,000.

With its plan for increasing online services, the company will launch online account opening and mobile application services in the first half of this year as well as Robo Advisor for mutual fund clients.

This month, the company will make initial public offerings of fund units of KFSUPER and KFSUPERRMF, with no more than 75 per cent of the proceeds to be invested in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure funds.

Siriporn said the mutual fund industry is expected to expand by 3 per cent this year , a higher growth rate than 2018. But, it would contract by 2 per cent if Thailand Future Fund is excluded, she added.

The company retains its positive view on the Thai stock market, targeting the Thai Stock Exchange of Thailand Index at 1,720 points this year or move in a range of 1,550-1,830 points with a market price to earnings ratio of 15.5 times and market earnings per share of Bt110.7.

This year’s market earnings is estimated to grow in a range of 8-10 per cent.

Despite of its short-term volatility, the Thai bourse remains attractive in the medium to long term, given its P/E ratio of 15 times compared to Indonesia’s 15.5 times and the Philippines’s 16.3 times.

This year, the company expects fixed income, particularly short-term ones, to reap higher return from the expected gradual rises in short-term interest rates, after Bank of Thailand’s policy rate increase last December.

Foreign capital movement is expected to improve if pressure from the Federal Reserve and the US-China trade war eases up.

However, the market will see continued net sales of Thai stocks by foreign investors this year but the amount is not expected to exceed the Bt300 billion worth of stocks sold last year .

Investors may diversify risks in their portfolios with 60 per cent in stocks (35 per cent in Thailand and 15 per cent overseas), 35 per cent in fixed income (25 per cent in the country and 10 per cent abroad ) and 5 per cent in alternative investment, such as gold, with an estimated average return of 7 per cent per year.