Bangkok – Monday 16th of September was the first of two launch ceremonies for Vilja and the company’s expansion in ASEAN, starting in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Some 70 Thai industry leaders within digital banking gathered in central Bangkok for the celebration together with both Swedish and Thai government representatives.

The Ambassador of Sweden to Thailand H.E. Anna Hammargren held an opening speech congratulating and expressing the Embassy’s support for the initiatives taken by Vilja and the local Thai partners. She stressed the importance of adopting innovative next generation solutions to meet future challenges and to reach sustainable development goals such as financial inclusion.

Depa’s Vice President Mr. Warin Ratchananusorn conveyed the Thai agency’s support for Vilja’s arrival in Thailand emphasizing how the company’s innovation aligns with the government’s efforts to promote the digital economy, with the financial sector playing a key role in this broader transformation. Mr Khunpitiluck is applauding the company’s continued investment in Thai partnerships and that a globally recognized company like Vilja chooses to invest in Thailand is a testimony to the country’s advanced development and importance for the ASEAN region.

“Thailand is the second-largest economy in ASEAN, home to some of the region’s most advanced and prestigious banking institutions. We see that the rest of ASEAN closely follows developments in Thailand. With its mature infrastructure and economy, Thailand is well-positioned to leverage next-generation banking solutions to serve the underserved—a commitment we are proud to share with our local partners.”, says Fredrik Ulvenholm, CEO at Vilja.

During the partnership ceremony Vilja signed four Thai partnerships to jointly deliver Vilja’s solutions to their existing and future local customers. The two government representatives witnessed the ceremony with the following representatives: Amy S. Vajropala CEO Data1, Boonchuay Sanguanvorapong CMO Magic Software Thailand, Akbar Motani CEO DPM Thailand and Shahan Farid CEO AquaOrange.

Vilja Managing Director APAC, Juan Carlos Mauritz, explained: “Having these leading local partners’ trust proves the need for our solutions in the market. We need to work with the best local partners to make our technology widely available to further enable the Thai banking industry to reach underserved segments of the economy. Here we are going beyond being a vendor, leading broad public-private partnerships to educate, explore and connect our countries combined knowledge and industries to find more innovative ways to set the best conditions for increased financial inclusion in Thailand.”

Thai Fintech Association, Executive Committee member Thanobol Cenphakdee, also announced a joint initiative to increase fintech collaboration between Thailand and the Nordics, led by Vilja together with the association, depa and the Swedish Fintech Association starting with a delegation of Thai industry leaders traveling to Stockholm this December. “The Nordics are the most innovative region in the world with the highest development of digitalization, together with Vilja we are connecting our industries and knowledge to further Thai innovation and financial inclusion.”

For more information, please contact:

Madeleine af Ugglas, CMO at Vilja, madeleine.af.ugglas@viljasolutions.com

Katarina Svensson, Embassy of Sweden in Thailand, katarina.svensson@gov.se