BEST CEO AWARDS (SET) TISCO Financial Group Public Company Limited

I feel deeply honored and proud to receive this award. This is not just my personal achievement, but a great honor shared on behalf of the board of directors, management, shareholders, and all TISCO employees. This success reflects the power of collaborative work under the principles of good governance and transparency, coupled with a business approach focused on stable long-term growth. It's like a marathon that requires careful planning and practice, knowing the right rhythm and timing to achieve continuous and sustainable growth.

success of TISCO Financial Group Public Company Limited หรือ TISCO Group Under the leadership of Sakchai Peechapat, Chief Executive Officer Gaining recognition once again by winning... Best CEO Awards The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on stage SET Awards 2025 For the second consecutive year, this reflects the outstanding leadership role during a time of rapid economic, social, and technological change, along with increasingly intense challenges across all dimensions.

From Sakchai's perspective, this prestigious award is not merely a "stamp of individual success," but rather a reflection of "confidence in a strong organizational foundation" built on the collaboration of employees, management, the board of directors, and shareholders, as well as the continued support of customers and business partners. The Best CEO Awards consider performance coupled with sustainable growth, aligning with TISCO Group's management philosophy of "discipline, prudentness, and continuity" rather than short-term, flashy growth.

“I feel deeply honored and proud to receive this award. This is not just my personal achievement, but an honor received on behalf of the board of directors, management, shareholders, and all TISCO employees. It reflects the power of collaborative work under the principles of good governance and transparency, coupled with a business approach focused on stable long-term growth. It's like running a marathon that requires careful planning and practice, knowing the right rhythm and timing, enabling continuous and sustainable growth.”

These words reflect the core of the leadership philosophy that TISCO has always upheld: marathon growth that values ​​resilience, careful planning, optimal resource management, disciplined management, and expert-based decision-making. This is crucial for maintaining stability amidst uncertainty, rather than rushing for short-term victories.

Good governance and transparency
The foundation of trust.

In today's fast-paced and competitive business world, Sakchai believes that the role of a leader is not about making the organization "run as fast as possible," but rather about guiding it "to the finish line securely." He argues that true growth for financial organizations is not measured by short-term figures, but by the ability to maintain trust and create value continuously over the long term.

When it comes to sustainable growth, many organizations drive it within the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) framework, focusing primarily on the environmental dimension. TISCO Group, however, takes a different approach, considering the specific context of "financial institutions," which differs from other industries because the bank's product is not tangible, but rather "trust."

Therefore, TISCO has redefined its priorities in the “GSE” model, with G – Governance – as the core foundation. It's like the taproot of a large tree; if the taproot is not strong, the trunk cannot stand upright and cannot branch out to care for society (Social) or the environment (Environmental).

Sakchai explained that the financial business is sensitive to the trust and feelings of stakeholders. If an organization lacks transparency, engages in corruption, or is managed unethically, even a single piece of bad news or mistake can shatter trust built up over decades in an instant. And when trust is shaken, liquidity inevitably dries up, leading to a chain reaction affecting the organization's stability.

Therefore, strong corporate governance is not just a management principle, but the first aspect of TISCO's "DNA" (Corporate Culture), which TISCO continuously instills and adheres to at all levels of operation to remain a trusted financial institution (Your Trusted Financial Advisor). The next DNA element is Risk Management, precise risk management based on an appropriate balance between risk and return. Customer Focus is another key element, placing customers at the center and acting as a lifetime partner throughout their financial lives. Finally, the Culture of Innovation fosters a culture of innovation to develop tools and solutions that meet the needs and lifestyles of customers.

The test of leadership
In a period of transition in the financial business.

Sakchai estimates that 2569 will be another challenging year for the banking industry due to low economic growth, with GDP projected to fall below 2%. Simultaneously, the downward interest rate cycle will directly impact commercial banks with a high proportion of floating interest rates, leading to a narrower net interest margin (NIM) and putting pressure on the profitability of the entire system.

Another risk to watch is the debt problem, which is expanding from individuals and SMEs to large corporations, especially in the bond market, which may face risks in repayment terms. Therefore, the key to management this year is not "accelerating profit-making," but rather "carefully managing cash flow" to reduce the likelihood of continued defaults (cross-default) and maintain overall stability.

Within this context, collaboration between the government and financial institutions plays a crucial role in supporting vulnerable borrowers and the economy. One mechanism under scrutiny is the reduction of contributions to the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) to support the SME Credit Boost program. This will lower risk costs and boost confidence in new lending. Other measures include "pay off debt quickly, move forward" and debt restructuring through the National AMC mechanism, which help borrowers plan their finances and systematically close their debts, enabling them to remain in the financial system in the long term.

Growing stronger in a challenging year.

Under a year filled with pressure, Sakchai stated that TISCO will focus on expanding its high-quality customer base while simultaneously enhancing sales and service efficiency. This will be achieved by leveraging AI technology to develop solutions that precisely meet customer needs, a key driver of growth over the next 2-3 years.

In terms of business objectives, TISCO frames loan growth in 2569 at 0–5%, focusing primarily on maintaining the quality of non-performing loans (NPLs) under a counter-cyclical model strategy. It leverages the strength of its fixed-rate loan portfolio, accounting for approximately 70%, which effectively mitigates pressure from declining interest rates.

One of the key strategies is to aggressively penetrate the EV market with a focus on Green Financing, targeting high-quality customers with good credit, coupled with developing liquidity-enhancing products suitable for the current economic climate, such as car title loans, property title loans, and survivor's benefits loans, to help generate cash flow for retired civil servants in the form of a Living Benefit.

Meanwhile, TISCO's provident fund customer base, where it is the number one market leader in the country, remains a key driver of long-term growth under the "3 Spans" concept to support a super-aged society, encompassing preparation for lifespan, health expenses (Health Span), and holistic retirement planning (Wealth Span).

Sakchai explained that TISCO provides asset allocation advice in the form of Portfolio Management to diversify risk and generate returns.
TISCO provides tailored solutions, along with life and general insurance advice, to suit customers' lifestyles. For customers with high-interest debt, TISCO helps them plan debt consolidation to reduce financial costs and enhance their long-term retirement savings potential.

Using AI to empower people and shape the future of organizations.

Sakchai believes that the real challenge for leaders in this era is not just "adapting quickly," but "consciously choosing to change" without losing the foundations and principles that the organization has always upheld. Even though Digital Transformation and new technologies like AI have become key to competition, Sakchai emphasizes that technology should be viewed as a "tool" to increase efficiency, generate revenue, reduce expenses, and improve services, rather than being driven by technology itself. Therefore, TISCO Group has framed AI development under the "3A" concept: Assistant, Automation, and Agentic, focusing on empowering employees, improving work processes, and maintaining consistent service standards, rather than replacing human roles.

"An example of creating an Agent Coach mentorship program, named 'P'RuDee (meaning 'Know-It'), is designed to transfer TISCO's DNA and knowledge from generation to generation. This is achieved by compiling the experience and service techniques of top-talented employees and aligning service approaches with market conduct principles. The goal is to bridge the gap between older and younger employees and maintain the organization's expertise in the long term."

Finally, Sakchai emphasized that no matter how advanced technology becomes, the essence of the banking business remains "trust." AI should therefore serve as a tool to help employees become more knowledgeable, analyze more deeply, and have more time to create true value for customers. This is TISCO's approach to "transformation," addressing changing customer needs and lifestyles to ensure stable and sustainable long-term growth.

Follow and read other columns in the February 2569 Bank Finance Journal, Issue 526, in digital format: https://goo.gl/U6OnIi

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