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:

1. Expressing the intention of responsible lending
2. Considering stakeholder engagement
3. Establishing internal policies and work processes
4. 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.

Activities to Promote Micro-Business and Society

Tang To Know-how Project and Sustainable Community Development Policy

"Tang To Know-how" is a flagship corporate social responsibility project of Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited, operating continuously since 2017. Its objectives are to cultivate financial discipline and business skills to improve people's quality of life and strengthen the grassroots economy.

Project Objectives

1. Promote financial knowledge and skills for small business entrepreneurs, the general public, and youth
2. Build economic resilience for communities and society
3. Develop the potential of small entrepreneurs for sustainable growth
4. Create collaborative networks for community and social development

Operational Process

1. Curriculum development in collaboration with the Faculty of Accountancy, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, to create quality content that meets target group needs
2. Creating and developing volunteer trainers from bank employees through standardized "Train the Trainer" courses
3. Conducting training in various formats, both offline at bank branches nationwide and online through digital channels
4. Systematic evaluation and monitoring to continuously develop and improve the project
5. Expanding cooperative networks with various sectors, such as the Department of Community Development, Ministry of Interior

Outstanding Results

• Total participants trained over 8 years: 240,338 people
• 79% of project participants applied knowledge about daily expense management
• 75% applied knowledge about financial goal planning
• 69% began saving money to build financial security after training
• 60% experienced increased sales after applying the knowledge
• Good debt repayment rate of 89% among entrepreneurs who completed the training

Community and Social Participation and Development Policy
Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited is committed to conducting business alongside caring for society and the environment. The bank has a policy for community and social development through the "Tang To Know-how" project, which promotes financial literacy and enhances financial planning skills for the bank's main customer groups: small entrepreneurs, SMEs, and micro-SMEs. The project also extends to other target groups in communities and society, such as company employees, students, government officials, etc.

The bank recognizes that promoting financial planning and management capabilities for customers and the general public helps build economic immunity, enables businesses to grow sustainably, and positively impacts the quality of life in nearby communities. This aligns with the bank's operating philosophy, "Everyone Matters," and is part of the bank's strategy for sustainable business growth.

Policy Implementation Guidelines

1. Economic and Social Development

• Promote fair and inclusive access to funding sources and financial services, especially for small entrepreneurs and vulnerable groups, through various credit products such as nano and micro-credit for small businesses, micro-SME business loans, and loans for OTOP entrepreneurs
• Develop financial knowledge and skills for people of all groups through the "Tang To Know-how" project with free training both offline and online, to promote financial management, financial planning, and sustainable business development
• Support career development, income generation, and grassroots economic enhancement through cooperation with government and private sectors

2. Promoting Education and Lifelong Learning

• Provide educational scholarships and vocational skill development funds for 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 in the "Tang To Know-how The Tutor" project, a special curriculum to develop financial literacy for students
• Promote the exchange of experiences and mutual learning among people in society through seminars, workshops, and building cooperative networks with various sectors

3. Environment and Sustainable Development

• Manage the organization with consideration for ESG principles to create balance between business growth and care for the environment and stakeholders, through corporate governance, responsible lending, and sustainable investment
• Create environmental protection awareness among employees, customers, partners, and communities through various activities such as campaigns to reduce plastic bottle usage, tree planting activities, and recycling campaigns

Monitoring and Evaluation
The bank measures the success of various projects with clear KPIs linked to UN SDGs in 6 areas:

• End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Reduce inequality
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
• Climate action

The bank communicates plans to employees at all levels, creates participation and joint commitment from all parties, and reports quantitative and qualitative results for stakeholder verification, such as the number of people receiving financial knowledge, paper usage reduction, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Community and Social Development Plan
Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited has developed the "Thai Credit Creating a Sustainable Future: Empowering Community Development" plan as a framework for systematic and comprehensive community and social development. The operational guidelines are as follows:

1. Target Community Selection

• Use analytical data from reliable sources such as Basic Minimum Needs (BMN) data or TPMAP data from the Department of Community Development
• Establish community selection criteria covering various dimensions including community economic development potential, leadership strength and participation level, community problems and needs, and alignment with local and national development strategies

2. Community Study and Analysis

• Organize community forums to introduce the project and listen to community needs, with representatives from all sectors participating
• Collect basic economic, social, and environmental data of the community
• Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the community together with community leaders and representatives 

3. Planning and Project Design with the Community

• Create a 3-year development plan divided into 4 phases: analysis and design, capacity building, implementation and monitoring, and lesson summarization and expansion
• Define clear and measurable objectives, goals, and success indicators
• Establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the community to define roles and responsibilities

4. Integration of Cooperation from Network Partners

• สร้างความร่วมมือกับภาคีหลัก ได้แก่ ธนาคารไทยเครดิต, กรมการพัฒนาชุมชน, พันธมิตรภาคธุรกิจ และหน่วยงานด้านสิ่งแวดล้อม
• ประสานความร่วมมือกับภาคีสนับสนุน เช่น องค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น สถาบันการศึกษา และองค์กรพัฒนาเอกชน
• จัดตั้งคณะกรรมการบริหารโครงการแบบมีส่วนร่วมที่มีตัวแทนจากทุกภาคส่วน

5. Integrated Community Development

• Economic: Provide "Tang To Know-how" training, support community product enhancement, develop local packaging, and create marketing channels
• Social: Develop future skills, strengthen new generation community leaders, and develop community welfare systems
• Environmental: Develop waste and used material management systems, promote clean energy, and develop low-carbon products

Strategy, Plans, and Goals
The bank has planned to expand the scope of the "Tang To Know-how" project in terms of content and access channels to cover the needs of all stakeholder groups, focusing on creating financial planning knowledge appropriate for each target group through various training formats. The strategies and plans are:

1. Continuously develop financial knowledge curriculum content with the Faculty of Accountancy, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, to keep it modern and appropriate for the current era
2. Expand target groups participating in the project to be more inclusive, especially disadvantaged groups, low-income people, and people in remote communities, to provide everyone with access to knowledge and essential financial skills
3. Continuously increase the number of training participants through offline channels and digital platforms
4.  Focus on creating quality internal trainers who can professionally transfer knowledge through the "Professional Trainer" course
5. Build cooperation networks with both public and private sectors in promoting community development
6. Regularly monitor and evaluate projects to develop more efficient plans
7. Plan to expand the project to strengthen occupations or other necessary skills to promote people's income in the long term

Goals
In 2025, the bank aims to reach 66,000 training participants, with a long-term goal of increasing the number of participants by at least 10% annually. The bank also targets satisfaction scores and recommendations of no less than 80% (excellent level).

Additionally, the bank focuses on the goal for training participants who are small business entrepreneur customers of the bank to have financial discipline and good financial behavior, being able to maintain their financial creditworthiness at no less than 80%, which will help develop the potential and financial stability of bank customers in the long term.

Partner Networks
Thai Credit Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Community Development, Ministry of Interior, as a key partner in driving the financial literacy promotion project in its 9th year. This collaboration aims to develop the potential of personnel in the Department of Community Development, group leaders, and network organizations under their supervision, to have knowledge and skills in financial management and systematic debt management. This is a source of pride and demonstrates the bank's potential 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 give communities economic immunity, create stable careers and income, and enable them to be self-reliant in the long term, aligning with the goals of reducing inequality, creating opportunities, and developing quality of life inclusively for everyone.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The bank's operations align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals as follows:

• Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Goal 4: Inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
• Goal 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
• Goal 10: Reduce inequality
• Goal 13: Climate action

Through the implementation of these policies and plans, Thai Credit Bank Public Company Limited aims to create shared value between business and society, promoting sustainable development at both community and national levels, according to the philosophy "Everyone Matters."

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/