AIS outlines targets for upcoming Clicx Bank

Mr Pratthana says AIS will continue to invest in cloud, data centres and AI to serve rising data usage demands.

- KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA

dvanced Info Service (AIS), in conjunction with partners Krungthai Bank (KTB) and PTTOR, plan to launch an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven virtual banking service in Thailand by June named Clicx Bank, ina bid to capture a slice of the lucrative 180-billion-baht smartphone market.

The trio expects the service to attract up to 30% of their combined customer base of 60 million. The bank’s initial focus is lending to people who want to buy mobile phones.

The mobile phone market has a value of roughly 180 billion baht per year, said Pratthana Leelapanang, chief executive of AIS, with annual growth of 5-10%. Within this market, mobile instalment payments account for 20-30%.

In June 2025, AIS and business partners Krungthai Bank (KTB) and PTTOR received approval from the finance minister to establish a virtual bank. Later they jointly established Thai Trinity Holdings Co Ltd, with shareholding proportions of 41% for KTB, 39% for AIS and 20% for PTTOR.

Clicx Bank Plc was incorporated on Aug 8, 2025 as part of the preparatory steps to fulfil regulatory requirements, with the objective of commencing virtual banking services this year.