A near-30% rise in Deutsche Bank’s Thailand revenue over three years is accompanying a broader effort to connect clients across Europe and Southeast Asia, the Bangkok Post reported.
Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing told the newspaper that Asia-Pacific supplies 13% of the lender’s worldwide revenue and an even greater portion of its profits. He said the region’s growing weight in the global economy is encouraging businesses to enter new markets and invest in physical and digital infrastructure.
The Bangkok Post reported that the bank’s Thailand revenue had increased nearly 30% during the three years before the interview. It also reported that Deutsche Bank recently moved its Bangkok office to Central Park, describing the relocation as evidence of the bank’s continued commitment to the country. Sewing said the lender had served Thai clients for nearly five decades.
As companies invest more across Southeast Asia and Europe, banks may see greater demand to arrange financing, facilitate trade, manage corporate cash and support capital-market transactions, the newspaper reported. It also pointed to possible free-trade agreements as a driver of business between the regions.
The paper identified automotive production, advanced manufacturing, industrial technology and engineering as areas where German companies have opportunities in Thailand. It said the country’s industrial base, location, trade connections and digital infrastructure support its appeal to foreign investors.
Europe has gained importance in corporate investment planning, according to a recent survey cited by the Bangkok Post. The survey found that 81% of leading companies worldwide rated Europe as more or somewhat more important to their investment decisions than three years earlier.
Sewing urged companies to broaden supply chains, maintain strong balance sheets and manage currency and interest-rate exposure. He cited shifting trade relationships, inflation, public debt and geopolitical tensions as sources of uncertainty, while saying advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence are opening new avenues for growth.
Sewing said the IMF-World Bank meetings in Bangkok could raise Thailand’s international profile, but lasting effects would depend on turning discussion into investment. He pointed to closer cooperation between business and government and sustained economic growth as aims, alongside private funding for infrastructure, digitalization and the energy transition. “Though it is being rewired, globalisation is here to stay,” he told the newspaper.
