BoT and Ministry look to tweaking soft loans for SME aid

The Finance Ministry and the Bank of Thailand are set to discuss amending the soft loan royal decree soon in a bid to provide greater financial relief coverage for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The idea of amending this royal decree stems from the intent of some government officials to expand the coverage scope for SMEs reeling from the outbreak, said a Finance Ministry source speaking on anonymity condition.

The most important amendment is to waive the requirement for SMEs to be stipulated as bank customers in order to obtain the soft loans, said the source.

Some of the existing conditions for SMEs to receive this financial remedy include status as bank customers whose loans are not classified as non-performing loans (defined as more than 90 days overdue) and capped at 20% of the existing loans outstanding.

Another amendment is to modify the…