Concerns about the private sector's revenue and debt servicing ability have been raised at a joint meeting of two Bank of Thailand committees.
The Monetary Policy Committee and the Financial Institutions Policy Committee held a joint session on Monday to discuss financial developments and risks to financial stability.
"The meeting agreed the slower-than-expected recovery in the Thai and global economies had affected the private sector's revenue and debt-servicing ability, especially in the agricultural sector and among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," the central bank said in a statement released Wednesday.
Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong (centre) and Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santiprabhob (fourth right) attended Wednesday's opening of Thailand Focus 2015, hosted by the SET. The three-day event at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel ends Friday.
Growth momentum is expected to accelerate, but the joint meeting found farm households and SMEs were vulnerable, given the sluggish recovery and its concentration only in certain sectors.
"However, the financial status of the business sector, particularly large corporations, remains sound," the statement said.
"This corresponds to the strength of financial institutions being derived from high capital buffers and reserves, which will help to cushion against risks coming from asset deterioration."
It said the government's new stimulus package should help to support the private sector afflicted from tepid economic conditions, but if implementation of public infrastructure megaprojects could begin within the investment time line, this would support GDP growth expansion and enhance Thailand's competitiveness.
Regarding uncertainty surrounding the timing of the US Federal Reserve's interest rate normalisation, the statement said this could cause volatility in financial markets and foreign exchange rates.
But Thailand's stability on the external front remains sound, and the country can manage growing financial volatility, while the business sector's foreign currency debts are associated mostly with large corporations, which earn revenue in foreign currencies and mitigate exchange risks through financial tools, it said.
The statement said "search-for-yield" behaviour continued to prevail amid the low-interest-rate environment, but effects on overall financial stability remained limited.
The joint meeting also found assets owned by savings cooperatives had increased and risks related to their financial operations heightened, which could enhance fragility in the overall financial system.
Speaking at Thailand Focus 2015 yesterday, central bank governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said more people had been depositing their money in savings cooperatives rather than banks in hopes of reaping a higher interest return.
The role of savings cooperatives should ideally centre on receiving deposits from their members and providing them loans, in which risk would be limited, Mr Veerathai said.
"But we've seen other people depositing money in them too due to their higher interest rates, while the cooperatives invest deposits in various ways in a bid to reap higher [investment] returns," he said.
Mr Veerathai said besides using people's cash deposits, savings cooperatives also sought bank loans for investment purposes.
The Agriculture Ministry and TMB Bank are looking into this issue, while regulators have been helping to disburse information, he said.
The central bank would like to see more savings cooperatives joining the National Credit Bureau in order to strengthen their financial position, Mr Veerathai added.
Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said tepid investment due to a lack of confidence had been a drag on the Thai economy.
The government is aware of the ebbing investment problem and trying to foster a new growth phase divided into three stages to pave the way for sustainable growth, he said.
The first stage is cementing political stability, with the government drafting a new charter, setting a time frame for the next general election and introducing stimulus measures for hard-hit farmers and SMEs.
The second stage is related to state and private spending, while the third stage is creating new economic engines to push up the country's economic growth.