Payong Srivanich’s leadership at Krungthai Bank advances digital innovation, strengthens sustainability and broadens financial inclusion, earning him the title of Best Bank CEO in Thailand and securing the bank’s recognition as the country’s Best Managed Bank. Payong Srivanich named Best Bank CEO in Thailand for driving digital and inclusive growth Krungthai Bank wins Best Managed Bank under his leadership Achievements include expanding open digital platforms, adopting AI and blockchain and embedding ESG into core strategy Bangkok, 24 July 2025 – Payong Srivanich, CEO of Krungthai Bank, receives the Best Bank CEO in Thailand award from TAB Global, in recognition of his visionary leadership and strategic foresight in transforming the bank into a digitally advanced, sustainable and inclusive financial institution. Under his leadership, Krungthai Bank also earns the title of Best Managed Bank in Thailand. Srivanich’s leadership demonstrates a firm commitment to improving lives through technology, innovation and environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. Guided by the principle of “Growing Together for Sustainability,” the bank prioritises the development of cutting-edge financial technologies and solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of its customers. His leadership drives key accomplishments in digital platform expansion, sustainability and includive growth. Expanding inclusive digital platforms Under Srivanich’s leadership, the bank pursues a dual digital strategy through the Krungthai NEXT mobile app and the open finance platform Paotang. He positioned Paotang as an open platform accessible to all Thais, not just the bank’s customers, reflecting his vision to improve access and convenience through innovation. With over 40 million users, the platform enables cashless payments, government aid distribution, healthcare access, digital lending, and investment services. Innovations, including digital government savings bonds and corporate bond offerings with low minimum investments, as well as real-time gold investments, make savings and investment products widely accessible. He also drives digital solutions for businesses through platforms such as Krungthai BUSINESS and Tung-Ngern, which support QR payments, sales tracking and access to government programmes. These services help small merchants operate more efficiently. By streamlining services across user-friendly platforms, he strengthened the bank’s reach and inclusive banking capabilities. Driving digital innovation and adopting emerging technologies Srivanich champions a forward-looking mindset centred on the “Courage to Change,” driving innovation across the bank. He leads the adoption of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. Blockchain reduces VAT refund processing time for tourists from about a month to just one to three days and supports supply chain financing by enabling faster and more transparent funding for corporate clients. He also leads the bank’s pursuit of a digital bank licence in partnership with telecom and energy firms, aiming to combine alternative data and consumer insights to expand access for underserved groups and improve debt collection. Recognising rising cyber threats and technology-assisted financial crimes, he strengthens the bank’s security and governance. The bank collaborates closely with the Bank of Thailand, the Thai Bankers’ Association and the Anti-Money Laundering Office to develop the Central Fraud Registry. This initiative enables data sharing across institutions to detect and prevent fraud, particularly mule accounts, reinforcing trust and resilience in the digital banking environment. Embedding sustainability and integrating ESG principles Srivanich firmly embeds ESG principles into the bank’s strategy and launches Thailand’s first carbon credit-linked investment and ESG-linked foreign exchange (FX) hedging offerings. The bank establishes a Green Financing Framework aligned with international standards to provide transition finance to support greener business models in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. He sets an ambitious targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2030 through greater renewable energy use and improved efficiency. Alongside this, he prioritises social impact through financial literacy initiatives, accessible digital services for persons with disabilities, and community programmes that support local livelihoods. Strengthening leadership in banking and public service Srivanich has served as the CEO and executive director of Krungthai Bank since 2016 and is also a member of the bank’s risk oversight committee. He joined Krungthai Bank in 2015 as senior executive vice president and head of the global markets group. He also served as corporate secretary of Krungthai Bank from 2020 to 2021. Before that, he was managing director, head of global markets and country treasurer at Citibank Thailand from 2008 to 2014. In addition, he holds several prominent positions, including chairman of the Thai Bankers’ Association, chairman of National ITMX and chairman of National Digital ID. He is also co-chairman of the joint standing committee on commerce, industry and banking and chairman of the nominating committee, as well as an independent director at PTT. He serves as a director on various government and economic bodies such as the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Bank of Thailand’s payment systems committee. His portfolio reflects significant leadership and influence across Thailand’s banking, finance and economic development sectors. About the CEO Leadership Achievement Awards TAB Global conducts a Leadership Achievement Awards programme every three years, focusing on the performance of CEOs/chairmen and boards in the financial services industry. The programme was first introduced in 2004 and is run only once every three years to give time to the leadership of banks to demonstrate the ability to translate strategy into execution. This highly coveted award is one of the most difficult and exclusive recognition programmes of its kind for any top banker in the industry because of its stringent evaluation process. The Best Managed Bank award is made in conjunction with the CEO Leadership Achievement Award in the belief that true leadership results in strong and sustainable franchises. Media Contact Genivi Factao Editor TAB Global Email: [email protected]
