Choti Lamsam (; ; ) was a Thai businessman who founded the

Kasikornbank Kasikornbank (, , Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 BE) by Choti Lamsam, ...

or otherwise known as the Thai Farmers Bank in 1945 with registered capital of

Baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

5 Million. The bank has been listed on the

Stock Exchange of Thailand The Stock Exchange of Thailand (, ; SET) has been the sole stock exchange operator in Thailand since its establishment on 30 April 1975. As of 8 April 2025, with a market capitalization of US$380.19 billion (excluding mai) at an exchange rate ...

(SET) since 1976. Choti was born in 1879 to a

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

family. His father, Ng Yuk Long, was a second generation

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese people, Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a popul ...

with ancestry from Guangdong province. After Ng Meow Ngian, Yuk Long's father died, he took over and expanded the family's timber business. He also owned agricultural trading, saw mills and rice mills. After 1932, he set up an insurance and banking business. In 1939, Yuk Long was murdered by the local Chinese mafia. Choti and his brothers, Julin and Kasem, then took over the family business. During World War II, the banking industry started to grow and Choti established Thai Farmer Bank on June 8, 1945, focusing on retail banking and customers in the rural areas. Choti died in 1948 (2491 BE). Choti Lamsam's grandson, Banthoon Lamsam, is ranked as the 21st richest in Thailand, Forbes, 2014.

References

Choti Lamsam Choti Lamsam People from Meixian District 1879 births 1948 deaths Choti Lamsam {{thailand-bio-stub

See also

References