Kasikornbank is among the lenders that have topped up their holdings for the holiday period this month. Kasikornbank said it has reserved Bt30 billion in cash for the nation’s biggest festival.

The cash will be held across its branches and ATMs over the holiday. The allocation covers April 12-16.

Of the total, Bt4 billion is for branches in Bangkok and Bt4.9 billion for customers’ needs outside the capital. KBank has 957 branches.

Some Bt21.1 billion is reserved for 9,267 ATMs across the country.

Of this amount, Bt8.8 billion is being held in Bangkok and Bt12.3 billion is in place for KBank’s ATMs in the provinces.

Bangkok Bank yesterday said it had readied more than Bt36 billion in cash for 10,000 ATMs nationwide to serve customers from April 13-16.

“Customers can rest assured that cash will be available for withdrawals from Bangkok Bank’s ATMs during the Songkran holiday,” the bank said.

Customers can also use the bank’s services at 319 micro-branches in shopping malls and communities.

The bank will resume normal operations from April 17.

In addition, customers can perform financial transactions via digital channels for free via Bualuang mBanking and Bualuang iBanking for instant money transfers between different regions and banks, PromptPay transfers, bill payments for products and services, as well as top-up services. “Customers can be confident that they will be able to perform their financial transactions in a convenient, fast and safe manner,” the lender said.

Siam Commercial Bank has put aside Bt37.5 billion for Songkran, split evenly between Bangkok and the provinces.

The reserve is higher than the Bt36 billion allocated last year.

Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch) forecasts that Bangkokians’ spending (excluding outlays on overseas trips) will reach Bt25 billion from April 12-16. This would be 3.6 per cent higher than for the same period last year.

The researchers say the smog in the North is expected to see Bangkokians avoid that region in favour of spending most of their time in Bangkok and the nearby provinces. This will benefit retailers, accommodation and restaurant businesses in these areas, KResearch said.

Of the total expected spending, Bt9.65 billion is likely to be spent on parties, Bt6.65 billion on accommodation and trips, Bt4.6 billion on shopping, Bt2.05 billion on merit making, and the same amount on other leisure pursuits.

The average spending per person is expected to be Bt5,800, compared to Bt5,600 last season, KResearch said.