SETTRADE DOT COM's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Wittaya Watcharawittayakul, said "in 2004, SETTRADE will focus on boosting investors' confidence in utilizing the company's network and system. This would help increase on-line transactions. SETTRADE has set aside a budget of 40 million baht to develop Internet-based trading with greater stability and speed for carrying out transactions. The improved system will accommodate a 100% increase in transactions. SETTRADE has set a target of acquiring 10,000 new on-line accounts. Apart from improving the existing system, SETTRADE has also arranged numerous activities in conjunction with the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), securities companies, and SETTRADE's allies as well as continuous public relations activities to attract more on-line customers."
"For the mobile information service, SETTRADE has come up with several new services to provide information suited to each group of investors and the specifications of each cellular service to enable customers to access the greatest amount of information in the most convenient way. SETTRADE offers a variety of information for investors to choose from but access will depend on the cellular network of each investor. For example, SETTRADE offers SMS Stock Info to check the latest figures from the SET index and share prices through the Short Message Service (SMS). This service is easy, speedy, and convenient and is available from all cellular phone operators, such as AIS (80099), Orange (80099), and DTAC (1922999). Currently, the service receives almost 200,000 requests every month and this figure is expected to double in 2004. The company also offers the mobiSET, a smart program that facilitates investment in the SET. The service is the first and only service in Thailand to offer an in-depth and complete analysis on securities. The service allows users to select and receive information on their 30 favorite stocks. It also offers real-time stock quotes and market data, a time schedule for those following recapitalization or dividend payouts, information for fundamental analysis, and graphs to assist in technical analysis," Dr. Wittaya said.
Moreover, SETTRADE has opened new channels for stock trading through cellular phones for investors with handsets that support GPRS or WAP under AIS, DTAC, or Orange. Those with a pocket PC can also buy and sell shares through SETTRADE's Daytrade WE service. Investors need not open new accounts, nor pay any additional fees. They simply have to put in their existing Username and Password. There are currently 12 securities firms offering services through this program.
SETTRADE's CEO went on to say, "Wireless applications have begun to play a major part in our daily lives and their role is expanding. Therefore, SETTRADE will continue to develop wireless services for the convenience of its investors who wish to follow stock prices and index movements in cooperation with allies and partners."
In 2004 SETTRADE has developed the "SET Smart Internet Version" to disseminate information about the SET. This service is targeted at seasoned investors as well as securities companies requiring better access to complete information needed to help them make their investment decisions more effectively.
"For the year 2003, on-line trading value totaled 100,203 million baht, an increase of 76,402 million baht year-on-year (2002 totaled 23,801 million) or up 321%. As of December 31, 2003, on-line trading accounts numbered 15,831, an increase from 2002 of 10,586 accounts (2002 saw 5,246 accounts) or up 125%," Dr. Wittaya said.
SETTRADE has spent more than 10 million baht in 2003 towards developing its on-line trading system to accommodate more investors and increased transactions. This helped facilitate trading especially during the stock market boom when the volume of transactions reached 50-60 billion baht daily. SETTRADE has also improved the quality of existing services by adding new functions such as Daytrade Lite and Technical Chart.
"On information dissemination, the focus of SETTRADE is still on developing its free investment portal under www.settrade.com to assure that it becomes the center of stock market information in Thailand. It has been successful in attracting investors, making it the number 1 most visited website among all business websites in Thailand according to Truehits's survey."
"In 2003, UOB Kay Hian Securites (Thailand) expressed its interest in joining SETTRADE's on-line network. Currently, SETTRADE has 15 securities companies as its allies. They companies are Ayudhya Securities, DBS Vickers Securities (Thailand), Globlex Securities, Sicco Securities, Tisco Securities, BT Securities, United Securities, KGI Securities (Thailand), Kiatnakin Securities, Trinity Securities, National Securities, BFIT Securities, Capital Nomura Securities, UOB Kay Hian Securities (Thailand), and Intel Vision Securities," Dr. Wittaya concluded.