Business executives and capital market regulators resumed their normal operations shortly after the earthquake that hit Bangkok and most parts of Thailand on Friday, pointing out that measures are in place to handle the aftermath.
Roong Mallikamas, deputy governor for the Bank of Thailand's financial institution stability group, confirmed that payment infrastructure and financial services, including the Baht Net system, mobile banking applications and government disbursement mechanisms have not been interrupted.
"Under the central bank's street test, all payment systems of all banks passed the inspection. Despite some branches affected physically remaining closed temporarily, the overall payment system is functional and offering services normally," she said.
Financial institutions continue to provide normal services for both retail and corporate clients without disruption. The central bank has instructed financial institutions to extend special debt relief for disaster-affected borrowers, similar to measures implemented during the 2024 floods, with certain regulatory flexibility already in place to facilitate this support.
There are many banks, both commercial as well as specialised financial institutions, offering various financial packages to help customers who have been impacted by the disaster. The financial aid packages cover additional credit lines for home repairs and existing debt restructuring with a special interest rate offer and grace period for interest payment.
BUSINESS AS USUAL
Thailand's energy supply and its manufacturing sector remain intact after inspections found no alarming impact, said energy officials and business leaders.
Hydropower plants at dams overseen by the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) continue to supply electricity to the state grid, Egat said in a statement.
The epicentre of the temblor in the region of Mandalay, Myanmar, is 637 kilometres from the Sirikit Dam in the northern province of Uttaradit.
Egat is currently assessing the aftershock situation to ensure all dams are safe.
Oil refineries, fuel production facilities as well as fuel transportation and logistics systems have been carefully checked.
"All of them are working normally," said director-general Sarawut Kaewtathip.
Officials found no problems at petrol stations near the area where a building that was under construction, owned by the State Audit Office of Thailand, collapsed during the quake.
Gas separation plants and gas delivery systems run by PTT Plc are also not affected, said chief operating officer Wuttikorn Stithit.
Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said many factories experienced a production halt initially, but they had resumed working since Friday evening.
"After experts checked pressure in the equipment, everything has returned to normal," he said.
NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE
Thanes Weerasiri, president of the Council of Engineers Thailand, said around 13,000 damage reports have been submitted to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to review. Of the total, over 10,000 cases had already been checked via images and on-site visits, and 2,000 cases still needed to be reviewed.
So far, only two buildings are rated red, meaning they are unsafe for use, he said.
"It is normal for high-rise buildings to sway during an earthquake, similar to how a plastic ruler flexes but doesn't break. All high-rise and large-scale buildings built after 2007 were designed to withstand earthquakes," he said.
Most of the damage is to walls, which is normal. As long as beams or floors are not cracked, the structure remains strong. All buildings in Bangkok undergo annual inspections.
The public should trust the engineers who are inspecting these buildings, who assure them that they are safe to occupy, said Mr Thanes.
"After this, buildings should undergo re-analysis," he added. "We are now at the stage of building trust to prepare for possible future quakes, such as the fault line in Kanchanaburi."
Pornanong Budsaratragoon, secretary-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said the regulator has ensured the continuous normal operation of the trading systems of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), capital market participants, and the digital asset exchanges through close collaboration with relevant parties.
The reporting and disclosure deadlines have been extended for regulated business operators, listed companies, and securities issuers affected by the earthquake.
SET president Asadej Kongsiri affirmed that the fundamentals of listed companies remain strong and their competitiveness was not compromised by the earthquake as the business sector could efficiently handle the situation with uninterrupted business continuity.
The SET has established thorough operational protocols to ensure full system functionality through close coordination with member companies and relevant parties to facilitate seamless trading activities across all market platforms, he said.
