"When was the last time you visited a branch?"
Without realizing it, Thai people have become adept at using Mobile Banking for deposits, transfers, withdrawals, payments, and even applying for loans online. This technological advancement and changing customer behavior have led to the closure of thousands of commercial bank branches in Thailand.
Amid these changes, banks must not only reorganize their business costs but also prepare branch staff to adapt. Recently, an interesting case from TMBThanachart Bank (ttb) shows continuous adjustment after the merger, focusing on upskilling and reskilling employees to handle emerging changes.
Mr. Thakorn Piyapan, ttb’s CEO, explained that shifting customer behavior—favoring digital channels over branch visits—has driven a trend of branch closures among commercial banks. ttb has also reduced its branches from 532 in 2023 to 390 projected in 2026.
On average, about 30 branches close annually. Each full-service branch has roughly 10 employees, who will either be merged into nearby branches or relocated to local hubs—currently about 20 such hubs exist. The bank carefully plans this transition to retain existing customers. Once the branch strategy is fully implemented, closures will cease.
In 2027, ttb plans to pilot new branch formats that may not handle cash transactions but will focus on advisory services such as investment, life planning, and wealth management, starting in Bangkok's central business district.
Thakorn added that although branches are consolidating or closing due to fewer visits, over 95% of retail transactions have moved online. With increased social media use among Thais, the role of bank employees must evolve accordingly.
ttb’s Branch Transformation involves repositioning staff as Retail Influencers, encouraging and supporting branch employees to become financial advisors and experts ready to assist customers. Of more than 3,500 employees, over 1,065 have already advanced into digital marketing roles—a 229% increase from 324 in 2025.
The core strategy is to develop and support employees to communicate effectively with broader target audiences and reach new customer bases beyond traditional ones. This includes storytelling and advisory content on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook, through live streams and short educational clips. Some employees now have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of followers.
This strategy also addresses upskilling and reskilling across all employee groups and ages to access diverse customer segments. Meanwhile, the bank is implementing systems to monitor and establish clear standards to ensure credibility and protect against various cyber threats.
For example, during live streams or educational sessions, employee IDs are displayed for customer verification. Team leaders or relevant departments randomly review live content or pre-approve clips and monitor for impersonation or fraud cases.
The bank continues to develop and support this initiative. In the past 10 months, these financial influencers have advised over 554,500 customers and facilitated access to financial products worth more than 1.5 billion baht. The target is to increase this to 4.5 billion baht within three years.
Meanwhile, the number of Retail Influencers is expected to grow to 3,200 in three years from the current approximately 1,065. The bank emphasizes responsible lending standards and plans to expand advisory services from loans—such as personal, home, and credit cards—to more complex products like insurance and investments.
In a changing world, while bank branches may become less central, financial transactions remain integral to people's lives, requiring banks to adapt alongside evolving customer behaviors.
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