Trends around Gold Investment for Local Investors in Thailand

• "Demand for gold in Q3 2020 has been hit by a combination of higher prices and the collapse in visitor numbers in a country largely dependent on tourism. Hence, job losses and lower income levels at a time of rapidly rising gold prices prompted a surge of disinvestment, as Thai investors used their gold holdings to fund their financial needs. Thai investors continued to sell off their existing gold investments as a means of relieving the economic hardship arising from the pandemic."

Tools Used by Investors

• An example of tools that Thai gold investors use is MTS Gold. "With MTS Gold, individual traders and investors get the best tools for accessing Thailand Futures Markets and Thai Gold market. They benefit from advanced charting and technical analysis tools, streaming research, all build into our platforms accessible from windows desktop, web trading and mobile trading (Both android and iOS)."

Their Attitudes Towards Gold Investment

• "Physical gold is intrinsic to Thai culture and is held in high esteem as a store of value. Similar to the Indian perspective, gold in Thailand is held as an investment for financial security, is gifted during weddings, and is central to religious ceremonies. Also, gold in Thailand is often purchased in the form of jewelry, but also in the form of bars and coins."

Examples of Digitalization

• "With major industries in Thailand responding to the challenge of digital disruption by embracing the technology, gold traders are jumping on the wagon of digitalization. MTS Gold Group focused on servicing investors with a gold saving platform online through blockchain technology for higher security and transparency."
• "YLG Bullion International also launched its YLG gold saving program through a website. Gold savers are able to buy gold at a determined price 24 hours a day."

Summary

• During our one-hour, preliminary research, the research team covered the emerging trends around gold investment among local investors in Thailand, the different audiences that invest in gold, the tools that they use, the products and services the investors use, their attitudes towards investing in gold, and the examples of digitalization in the space. Due to time constraints, we did not research the behavior of the Thai government towards these local gold investors and the emerging trends around investment for local investors.
• Based on our early findings, there may be limited information that is sufficient to robustly address this project, as deeper research will be required to provide a few pieces of information, at the least. This may be because the project focuses on local investors in Thailand. Hence, expanding the scope to all investors may increase our chances of adding to what is available in the public domain.