Prominent bankers and economists on list as applications close
PUBLISHED : 4 Jun 2025 at 20: 45
UPDATED : 4 Jun 2025 at 21: 02
Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwardnarueput speaks to the press in May 2025. His term ends on Sept 30 and seven people are reportedly vying to succeed him. (Photo: Somruedi Banchongduang)
The race to be Bank of Thailand governor is heating up, with bankers and economists leading a list of seven applicants vying for a pivotal role in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.
Candidates include Anusorn Tamajai, who sought the governor’s role in 2020; Vitai Ratanakorn, president of the state-owned Government Savings Bank; Bangkok Bank executive Kobsak Pootrakool; and Somprawin Manprasert, a former economist at Siam Commercial Bank. Others include a central deputy governor and a former International Monetary Fund economist, the Thai-language newspaper Krungthep Turakij reported.
Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, who has reached the retirement age of 60, will end his five-year term on Sept 30 after battling government pressure for lower interest rates and a higher inflation target.
His successor will be chosen by an independent panel, but the administration of Prime Minister Paetongtan Shinawatra has made no secret it wants a more pliable governor.
The new chief should be “forward-looking with modern ideas” and “support government policies”, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said in January. Ms Paetongtarn calle
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