#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40019165

KBank Private Banking (KPB) has announced its investment strategies, focusing on five alternative assets in order to “Increase Options for Survival” in an era of economic volatility wherein conventional investment may not be the right answer.

KPB showcased its success as evidenced by its stellar performance with a return on investment of around 11-19 per cent p.a. This achievement reinforces KPB’s status as Thailand’s top-notch investment and wealth management advisory service provider.    

Triphon Phumiwasana, Senior Managing Director, Private Banking Business Head, Kasikornbank (KBank), noted, “Amid highly uncertain economic circumstances, traditional asset classes may no longer provide satisfactory returns.

Investors have therefore switched to new forms of investment as alternative vehicles for risk diversification and long-term stable returns. To survive market volatility, global investors have invested in alternative assets thanks to their highly flexible investment management strategies.

Given that prices of private assets are not tied to capital market movements, therefore they reflect real fundamentals of each asset class. As a leading investment and wealth management advisory service provider, KPB has recommended that our clients invest in alternative assets since 2021 to capitalize on their growth potential while also guarding against market volatility.” 

KBank Private Banking recommends the five following asset classes, comprising three types of private assets and two types of public assets with flexible investment strategies. They are, i.e.,  

1. Private Equity  

Private Equity (PE) is typically an investment fund which is not listed on a public stock exchange. Private equity funds mainly invest in companies with high growth potential seeking to raise funds for business expansion. Unlike public stock markets which tend to fluctuate out of emotion-driven market sentiment, PE prices are not quoted on a daily basis, and their returns typically reflect real fundamentals of the companies they are invested in. Given this, private equity potentially provides attractive returns with relatively low price fluctuations over the short-term period.

However, investors may have to measure this advantage against the need for a lengthy investment period, mostly depending on the growing stage of the invested companies. Therefore, private equity is suitable for long-term investors who can hold their investment for at least seven to nine years.  

2. Private Debt 

Private Debt is like a loan provided outside the capital market as an alternative form of fund mobilization for companies wishing to expand their businesses. However these companies are unable to gain access to funds per the normal course of business such as loans provided by banks, or for companies wishing to quickly mobilize funds.

Therefore Investors will enjoy higher returns amid the current upward trend in interest rates, although they may have to trade that off for relatively low liquidity compared to investment in government bonds or debentures that are typically traded in the capital market. This asset class is suitable for investors who can invest over at least five to seven years.    

3. Private Real Estate 

Investment in Private Real Estate or basic infrastructure that is not listed on a public stock market such as office buildings, and electricity and telecommunication projects, can help diversify risks in a volatile market, as well.

Properties with high rental rates offer investors a greater opportunity to enjoy steady returns. Investment in Private Real Estate is ideal for present investment conditions as it offers investors stable cash flows. Long-term investment of at least three years is recommended.  

4. Quantitative Hedge Fund 

Quantitative Hedge Fund is an alternative fund with greater flexibility in investment strategy. Trust must be placed primarily on the skills of fund managers as they anticipate positive returns regardless of any market conditions.

Quantitative Hedge Fund can invest in a diverse range of asset classes and typically uses a short-selling strategy to make profits during market downturns by borrowing assets to sell first before repurchasing them later at a lesser value or using derivatives to boost the leverage rate or other more complicated strategies, based on mathematical and quantitative statistical methods.

Overall, a quantitative hedge fund can serve as a tool to add new dimensions to investment portfolios in terms of returns and risk diversification.  

5. Structured Note 

Structured Note is a financial instrument combining the key features of debentures and derivatives. Its investment mechanism is based on asset prices or factors related to market changes in various forms such as stock index, foreign exchange rate, etc.

For instance Structured Note products that are preferred among Thai investors are knock-in knock-out (KIKO) structured notes with Thai or foreign stocks as underlying assets. They will offer good returns at a time when the market is moving in a narrow range, and can provide regular returns in the form of monthly interest. 

Subsequently, each asset class is outstanding and can well meet the different needs of investors. Interested investors should study and understand investment details thoroughly or consult professionals for advice on appropriate investment portfolio allocation. In normal practice, alternative assets make up no more than 10 per cent of a total portfolio, as their main purpose is risk diversification. 

In closing, Triphon noted, “According to operating results of last year, our alternative asset investment product with outstanding performance and satisfactory returns amid market volatility was K-GPE19A-UI fund, a private equity fund, which offered an average return of up to 19 per cent per annum. Throughout the second half of this year, KBank Private Banking is determined to continually introduce additional alternative investment products both domestically and internationally, and in alignment with investment themes of the future, namely Global Private Debt, Global Private Equity, Global and Local Private Real Estate, Quantitative Hedge Fund Strategy and Exotic Structured Note, as investment options.”  

Published : August 21, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40019161

A local digital start-up has become Thailand’s fourth unicorn and its first metaverse unicorn after its shares were acquired by a subsidiary of Taiwan’s tech giant Foxconn.

The acquisition of shares in MiGroup’s Multiverse Expert by Power-All Networks was reported by Bloomberg and Digital Journal, as well as confirmed by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa).

According to reports, Power-All Networks acquired a 10 per cent stake in Multiverse Expert on July 10 this year with a US$120 million cash earn-out potential. The deal is directly aligned with Power-All’s drive in the pan-metaverse and metaverse product space in China and the global market.

Becoming a “unicorn” means a start-up can be valued at more than $1 billion. Thailand’s other three unicorns are Flash Group, Ascend Money and newcomer Bitkub.

Power-All announced that the move combines the strength of three companies – Multiverse Expert’s “metaverse” technology and innovative applications; CTG’s EDTech platform that has access to over 400,000 financial trading instruments and expertise in online financial trading; and Power-All’s own global reach, numerous patents, research in inter-cloud computing blockchain and pioneering efforts in the pan metaverse.

The company said this combination will give access to a massive worldwide market by offering new user experiences and setting up a global de facto standard with the highest number of platforms. All these platforms will offer people lifetime access to knowledge and abilities in building a new economy in the metaverse, financial knowhow, investment skills or professions that can continue beyond the retirement age.

Multiverse Expert specialises in providing advice, designing, developing and managing solutions in either private, public or hybrid blockchain projects.

It has also designed a Tokeconomics system deployed via Mainnet – an independent blockchain running its own network with its own technology and protocol. The company also provides the service of source code verification to its clients and provides advice on the development of applications both on the net and on mobile phones.

Congratulating Multiverse Expert for becoming Thailand’s first metaverse “unicorn”, Depa also pointed out that it was behind the success of two metaverse projects – Veleverse and Chiangmai Crypto City Metaverse.

Multiverse Expert has also developed two games in which players can earn crypto coins, namely Bitkub Verify Project: 3Kingdom-heroes NFT and Bitkub Register Project: BitMonster.

Depa noted that blockchain and metaverse are key digital technologies that can create new opportunities for the Thai economy. It pointed out that having unicorns in the two technologies boosts Thailand’s competitiveness and will help draw investments and a workforce with top-digital skills. This will also help Thailand achieve Web 3.0, a new iteration of the World Wide Web that incorporates concepts like decentralisation, blockchain technologies and token-based economics.

Published : August 21, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40019146

U-tapao Rayong Pattaya International Airport is being upgraded with the addition of a “smart” passenger terminal powered by 5G technology.

The construction of Terminal 3 is being conducted in collaboration with Thailand’s largest mobile services operator, Advanced Info Service (AIS).

AIS senior executive Saran Phaloprakarn said the goal was to turn U-Tapao, which is run by the Royal Thai Navy, into a modern commercial airport.

U-Tapao will become the third commercial airport serving Bangkok after Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. A high-speed train route will link all three airports and the Eastern Economic Corridor development zone.

Currently, U-Tapao serves mainly foreign tourists visiting the resort city of Pattaya on the eastern seaboard.

AIS signed a memorandum of understanding with the airport on August 10, extending their collaboration on digital tech adoption.

Saran said the MOU allows AIS to work on 5G “use cases” at the airport for three more years, in time for the opening of Terminal 3.

Digitalisation at U-Tapao began in 2018 and was upgraded to 5G after AIS launched fifth-generation technology for broadband cellular networks in Thailand two years ago.

Saran said the U-Tapao’s 5G tech will be used to analyse video from closed-circuit cameras for increased safety, relying on artificial intelligence, big data and face-recognition technologies.

AIS is providing the 5G services at U-Tapao free of charge as it is trialling the technology at the airport.

Saran said results from the study may also be used to expand AIS’s business at the airport in future, including the sale of SIMs to tourists.

The smart tech would also help keep passenger queues short, he added. “5G and AI can help you predict the concentration of passengers at the airport,” he said.

Published : August 20, 2022