Sustainable Microfinance Business Development
Micro refers to small entrepreneurs or micro businesses that Thai Credit Bank PCL supports and encourages. Economic means that Thai Credit Bank PCL is committed to supporting the businesses of small entrepreneurs to grow and improve their quality of life, promoting a strong economy for entrepreneurs and Thai society. Development means Thai Credit Bank PCL aims for integrated development, including promoting financial knowledge and business management skills, to help micro-entrepreneurs run their businesses and grow steadily and sustainably. This also includes showing social responsibility in all three dimensions according to the principles of Sustainable Banking. With a commitment to developing and promoting the micro-business sustainably, Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited has established various projects that comprehensively support both financial literacy knowledge and integrated business management activities. There are also social activities, micro-economic analysis and research that will promote and meet the needs of small entrepreneurs, youth, society, and the environment. With expertise and understanding of the micro-business group, along with recognizing the importance of such businesses as the country's economic foundation, the bank not only supports financial services but also drives small entrepreneurs to grow securely and sustainably, following the bank's philosophy of "Everyone Matters."
Social Responsibility
Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited operates its business by adhering to the principles of good corporate governance based on honesty and transparency. The bank also realizes that it is part of society. Therefore, the bank is committed to operating with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to create a foundation and commercial growth, including building long-term good relationships with people in society, as well as creating value for shareholders by considering the interests of stakeholders. Thai Credit Bank PCL adheres to the bank's vision and mission. The bank's operations also adhere to responsible management in three dimensions: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
Social
The bank operates under a vision and mission that adheres to and stands by medium to small entrepreneurs to be able to start and extend their businesses strongly, which is an important part of creating economic stability.
Environmental
The bank has implemented projects to promote awareness of the importance of the environment among youth. In implementing the project "Thinking for Younger Siblings, Nurturing Saplings Under the Tree," it is an essay contest project to win scholarships on the topic of "Green Community Market."
Governance
The bank sets guidelines for sustainable business operations in responsible lending, considering environmental, social, and governance factors to create immunity for financial institutions and alleviate various problems with four guidelines:
- Expressing the intention of responsible lending
- Considering stakeholder engagement
- Establishing internal policies and work processes
- Disclosing information transparently in conjunction with lending
The bank is also a member of an anti-corruption organization. The bank operates its business by adhering to the principles of good corporate governance based on honesty and transparency to help create opportunities and social equality, under the concept of "Everyone Matters" of the bank.
With financial products that cover small entrepreneurs nationwide, it creates income, can extend businesses to make businesses stable and sustainable, affecting the country's overall economy, including fair employment and treating all employees equally, with benefits that meet basic needs, conducive to a good quality of life for all employees
Providing knowledge to promote good financial discipline and enhance knowledge of sustainable business extension for small entrepreneurs, as well as developing youth and promoting learning to open up opportunities for youth to have learning opportunities and skills in their careers
Promoting people, especially small entrepreneurs who cannot access funding sources in the system, to have the opportunity to access financial services thoroughly and equally
Activities to Promote Micro-Business and Society
Tang-To Know-how Project
The Tang-To Know-How project is a financial knowledge training project that promotes knowledge, development, and financial skills. It has been implemented by Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited from 2017 to the present to provide training to the bank's customers, most of whom are small entrepreneurs, small business owners, including SMEs and Micro SMEs. Later, the target audience was expanded to office workers, university students, students, government officials, community members in provinces, and farmers, focusing on financial planning, debt management, and promoting strong communities. It is committed to helping improve the quality of life of people in society. This is to comply with the bank's operating philosophy of "Everyone Matters." Over the past 8 years, Thai Credit Bank PCL has imparted financial knowledge more than 4,976 times, with 240,338 participants through the learning centers of the bank's microfinance branches, online through social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok under the name "Tang-To Know-how by Thai Credit," as well as training by central speakers who go to various areas nationwide. The focus is on financial planning to make businesses grow continuously and the use of technology for business communication in the digital age. The training course content was jointly designed by Thai Credit Bank PCL and the Faculty of Accounting, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, and certified by experts in various fields.
Policy on Community and Social Engagement and Development
Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited is committed to conducting business along with caring for society and the environment. The bank has a policy to develop communities and society through the "Tang-To Know-How" project, which promotes financial knowledge and enhances financial planning skills for the bank's main customer groups, including small entrepreneurs, SMEs, and Micro SMEs, as well as extending to other target groups in the community and society, such as company employees, students, university students, government officials, etc.
The bank realizes that promoting the ability to plan and manage finances for customer groups and the general public will help create economic immunity, enabling businesses to grow sustainably, and also positively affect the quality of life of nearby communities. This is in line with the bank's operating philosophy of "Everyone Matters." This policy is part of the bank's strategy for sustainable business growth.
The policy and plan for promoting community and social engagement and development of Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited consists of:
1. Economic and Social Development
- Promote access to funding sources and financial services in an inclusive and fair manner, especially for small entrepreneurs and vulnerable groups, through diverse credit products such as Nano and Micro credit loan for small businesses, Loan for micro SMEs, Loan for OTOP entrepreneurs, etc.
- Develop financial knowledge and skills for all groups of people through the "Tang To Know-how" project which provides free training both offline and online to promote money management, financial planning, and sustainable business growth, in line with the bank's vision and mission.
- Support career development, income generation, and the promotion of the grassroots economy by collaborating with public and private agencies.
2. Promotion of Education and Lifelong Learning
- Provide educational scholarships and vocational skills development grants to youth and the underprivileged through the Thai Credit Foundation established to drive social projects and activities to improve people's quality of life.
- Collaborate with educational institutions on the "Tang To Know-how The Tutor" project, a special curriculum to develop financial knowledge for students.
- Promote the exchange of experiences and learning among people in society through seminars, workshops and building collaborative networks with various sectors.
3. Environment and Sustainable Development
- Manage the organization taking into account ESG practices to balance business growth with environmental stewardship and stakeholders, through corporate governance, responsible lending and sustainable investing.
- Raise awareness of environmental protection among employees, customers, partners and communities through various activities such as campaigns to reduce plastic bottle use, organizing reforestation activities, and campaigns on waste recycling.
Regarding project evaluation and progress monitoring, the bank will:
- Measure the success of various projects with clear KPIs linked to the UN's SDGs in 6 areas: No Poverty, Quality Education, Reduced Inequality & Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Climate Action.
- Communicate plans to employees at all levels to create participation and shared commitment from all parties.
- Report quantitative and qualitative results for stakeholders to verify, such as the number of people receiving financial knowledge, paper reduction, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
Strategies, Plans, and Goals
The bank has planned to expand the scope of the "Tang-To Know-How" project, both in terms of content and access channels, to cover the needs of all stakeholders. The focus is on creating financial planning knowledge that is appropriate for each target group through various forms of training. The strategies and plans are as follows:
* Continuously develop financial knowledge course content in collaboration with the Faculty of Accounting, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, to stay up-to-date and suitable for the era
* Expand the target audience to participate in the project to be more inclusive, especially the underprivileged, low-income earners, and people in remote communities, to give everyone access to knowledge and necessary financial skills
* Continuously increase the number of trainees through offline channels and digital platforms
* Focus on creating quality internal speakers who can impart knowledge professionally through the "Professional Speakers" training course
* Build a network of cooperation with both the public and private sectors in promoting community development
* Regularly monitor and evaluate the project to improve the effectiveness of the plan
* Plan to expand the project to enhance careers or other necessary skills to promote people's income in the long run
Goals
In 2025, the bank aims to have 66,000 trainees, with a long-term goal of increasing the number of trainees by at least 10% annually and setting a target for satisfaction scores and referrals of not less than 80% (excellent level)
In addition, the bank also focuses on the goal of having trainees who are the bank's small business customers maintain financial discipline and good financial behavior by maintaining their financial credibility level of not less than 80%, which will help develop the potential and financial stability of the bank's customers in the long run
With the bank having strong network partners, clear goals, and challenging success indicators, it ensures that the "Tang-To Know-How" project will continue to move forward and be able to disseminate knowledge and develop necessary financial skills to Thai people thoroughly and effectively.
Partner Network
Thai Credit Bank PCL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Community Development Department, Ministry of Interior, as a key partner in driving the financial literacy promotion project in its 9th year. This is to jointly develop the potential of personnel in the Community Development Department, group leaders, and network organizations under supervision to have knowledge and skills in financial management and debt management systematically. This is a source of pride and demonstrates the potential of the bank in gaining trust from government agencies.
Strengthening communities from within will lead to sustainable development and help reduce economic and social problems on a broader scale. The bank believes that this financial literacy promotion project will enable communities to have economic resilience, create stable careers and income, and be self-reliant in the long run, in line with the goals of reducing inequality, creating opportunities, and developing quality of life for all.
Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited established the Thai Credit Foundation in 2022 as a key mechanism to systematically drive social projects and activities. It aims to promote and support the development of communities, arts and culture, society, and the environment, which is an extension and creation of positive outcomes from the bank's sustainability mission according to its ESG policy. The collaboration between the bank and the foundation creates linkages in policy, strategy, and practices that address sustainable development goals. It can expand the target groups for development to be more comprehensive, with the main objective of enabling society and communities to become self-reliant and have a sustainably better quality of life.
We believe that "EMpower" is a key factor in helping everyone have the opportunity to fully develop their potential and achieve success in life, both economically and socially. Outstanding examples of collaboration that reflect this empowerment approach include creating strong model communities based on the BCG Economy concept, promoting local OTOP products, and improving the quality of life of vulnerable groups. Additionally, the foundation studies social impacts in various communities to plan a holistic approach to enhance people's quality of life, including creating jobs, increasing income, developing skills, enhancing learning opportunities, and uplifting entrepreneurs by collaborating with network partners from all sectors.
This collaboration also helps instill a mindset of doing good for society among the bank's employees through volunteering in various projects. This integrated approach can create positive changes for the sustainable development of communities and society.
Link: Thai Credit Foundation Website https://www.thaicreditfoundation.org/
