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The Market for Alternative Investment (mai) jointly with mai Listed Company Association (maiA), will hold "mai FORUM 2015" on July 1, 2015 in Bangkok, a big event to highlight mai's role as an alternative fund-raising source for entrepreneurs with an opportune platform for 90 mai-listed companies, distinguish social enterprises and start-ups to introduce businesses to investors, underlining mai’s commitment to boost growth with quality development.
mai President Prapan Charoenprawatt said that during the past 16 years, mai has been a fund-raising source for entrepreneurs, in synergizing capabilities and expanding businesses, especially family businesses in Bangkok and various provinces nationwide. There has been more than THB 60 billion raised through the bourse. This year, mai would focus on key areas of using financial tools, developing investor relations, fostering a deeper understanding of corporate governance among listed companies in order to strengthen mai-listed firms' capabilities and quality towards sustainability.
“mai has grown continuously with current market capitalization at THB 395 billion (USD 11.72 billion), while average daily securities trading value increased 10 times to THB 4 billion (approximately USD 118.69 million) from the past five years. To showcase the attractiveness of mai-listed firms, this year’s forum will highlight investment booths from 90 mai-listed firms to present their strengths to shareholders and investors, promoting their businesses, products and services. In addition, it will launch “Innobiz Matching-New Venture Showcase”, offering opportunities for outstanding start-ups and social enterprises to present their business plan to investors for fundraising,” Prapan added.
The forum will be held at Queen Sirikit Convention Center, Bangkok. Other activities in the forum include exclusive seminars for investors and interested firms to list on mai, opportunity day, and financial booth from four commercial banks (covering Bangkok Bank pcl, Kasikornbank pcl, Krung Thai Bank pcl, and The Siam Commercial Bank pcl) and securities firms. For more information, please visit www.set.or.th.
mai so far attracted 137 Thai companies. Off these, 19 mai-listed companies had grown steadily before moving to list on the main board (SET). There have been THB 68.24 billion (USD 2.02 billion) raised through equity, of which THB 31.74 billion (USD 0.94 billion) was raised from initial public offerings (IPO), as well as THB 36.50 billion (USD 1.08 billion) from recapitalization through 262 financial instruments.
