Speaking about the new joint venture, SCBX Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee Arthid Nanthawithaya, said, “The launch of the SCBX Group’s mothership strategy aims to transform it into a giant financial technology group capable of entering into regional and global technology platform markets and develop our people’s technological capabilities to scale up platforms in a short period of time. Partnering with a global market leader in digital business transformation such as Publicis Sapient will combine the knowledge and synergy of two large regional enterprises and allow them to jointly develop and execute our vision for continuously evolving SCB Tech X toward one of the biggest technology companies in Southeast Asia. SCB Tech X will soon become instrumental in driving business and enabling the SCBX Group to achieve its mission, as planned, through the creation of new technological capabilities that provide platform-as-a-service solutions for financial businesses and beyond.”
“SCB Tech X is paving the way for a new class of technology companies built with the express purpose of helping banks reinvent how they provide value to their customers,” said Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient. “This is a pivotal moment for personal finance and e-commerce globally, but particularly in Southeast Asia, where the market is growing exponentially. Our collaboration with the SCBX Group brings to bear the talent, expertise, and world-class technology of both organizations, resulting in a new business that operates with the speed of a digital native poised to usher in the next generation of technological capabilities.”
The new venture will be led by industry veterans from both SCBX Group and Publicis Sapient. Trirat Suwanprateeb, SCB’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, was appointed as CEO of SCB Tech X, and Jonathan Sharp, Managing Director at Publicis Sapient, will join the new venture as CTO.
“SCB Tech X's role is to create new digital technological capabilities to expand and create new businesses for the SCBX Group, allowing it to best capitalize on innovations and diversified technology platforms,” said Trirat Suwanprateeb, CEO of SCB Tech X. “SCB Tech X will bring technology experience and cross-sector collaboration to prepare the SCBX Group and its business partners to meet new consumer demands and help them stay ahead of global competitors by readying them for a future world led by digital technology.”
Digital payments are predicted to exceed US$1 trillion in transaction value by 2025 in Southeast Asia1. Moreover, the number of digital payments users in Southeast Asia is predicted to hit 443.1 million2 in 2025. All of these underscore the market opportunity for fintech in Southeast Asia.
“Across sectors and geographies, customers have come to expect sophisticated and convenient digital banking and non-banking services that help them move through daily life with greater ease,” said David Murphy, Publicis Sapient’s Head of Financial Services, EMEA & APAC. “It is imperative that banks and financial services organizations retool and reorganize to become leaders in these evolving ecosystems that harness the power of information, advanced technology and frictionless customer experiences. SCB Tech X combines the technological and cross-sector experience that will be integral to SCBX’s and others’ efforts to navigate this digital-first future.”
SCB Tech X is a digitally native and industry-leading platform-as-a-service provider that develops digital technology systems which offer innovative banking services, such as credit and deposit products, and non-financial services, such as food delivery, health and wellness content and online travel agency services, and more, to both corporate and general customers across Southeast Asia. A true cloud native entity, SCB Tech X will help institutions reinvent how they engage with their customers, drive significant efficiencies in the back office, and also target non-banking industries. With a scalable and flexible business model, SCB Tech X will deliver innovations at speed.
SCB Tech X is an extension of the innovative work SCBX Group and Publicis Sapient have undertaken to develop digital banking and food delivery products and services that serve a growing market for cross-functional commerce platforms, powered by digital payments and other fintech capabilities. The growing popularity and proliferation of digital payments among Southeast Asia’s consumers has propelled the region to become one of the fastest-growing fintech markets in the world.
[1] The Future of Southeast Asia’s Digital Financial Services, Google, Temasek and Bain & Company
[2] Digital Commerce in Southeast Asia, Statista
ABOUT SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK
Siam Commercial Bank PCL (SCB) was established by Royal Charter in 1906 as the first Thai bank. As of September 30, 2021, the Bank had Baht 3,272 billion in total assets and Baht 414,726 million in market capitalization on a consolidated basis. The bank is one of Thailand’s leading universal banks, providing a full range of financial services through its nationwide branch network to clients in all segments, including wholesalers, SMEs, and retail banking services. SCB is committed to becoming “The Most Admired Bank” by balancing value propositions for all stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, regulators, and society - and becoming a leader in shaping the future of Thailand’s banking industry. For more information, please visit https://www.scb.co.th
ABOUT PUBLICIS SAPIENT
Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company. We partner with global organizations to help them create and sustain competitive advantage in a world that is increasingly digital. We operate through our expert SPEED capabilities: Strategy and Consulting, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data, which combined with our culture of curiosity and deep industry knowledge enables us to deliver meaningful impact to our clients’ businesses through reimagining the products and experiences their customers truly value. Our agile, data-driven approach equips our clients’ businesses for change, making digital the core of how they think and what they do. Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe with 20,000 people and over 50 offices worldwide. For more information, visit publicissapient.com.
ABOUT SCB TECH X
SCB Tech X is a digitally native, industry-leading platform-as-a-service business that provides innovative banking services (such as loan products and checking and savings accounts) and non-banking services (like food delivery, health and wellness content, and online travel booking) to commercial institutions and consumers throughout Southeast Asia. A true cloud native entity, SCB Tech X helps institutions reinvent how they engage with their customers, while driving significant efficiencies in the back office. To learn more, please visit www.scbtechx.io.