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DES Ministry asks BOT to investigate 11 unlicensed loan apps

DES Ministry asks BOT to investigate 11 unlicensed loan apps

Provided by Nation.

The DES Ministry has asked the Bank of Thailand to investigate 11 unlicensed loan apps on Google Play Store, with action to be taken against offenders.

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has detected 11 allegedly unlicensed loan apps on Google’s Play Store and has tasked the Bank of Thailand (BOT) with taking action, the ministry’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

Wethang Phuangsap, spokesman for the DES Ministry, stated that the BOT has been assigned to investigate whether these 11 apps are operating without a licence. If they are found to be unlicensed, the BOT must file a complaint with Google Thailand to have them removed from the Play Store or blocked in Thailand.

Google Play Store is a one-stop shop for discovering and installing various apps, games, and digital content. It serves as a vast online marketplace specifically for Android devices.Wethang, who is also the acting secretary-general of the Office of the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) and secretary-general of the Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, said the ministry detected the 11 unlicensed apps following recent controversies surrounding smartphones from the Chinese brands Oppo and Realme.

The two brands have been accused of unlawfully pre-installing two unlicensed loan apps—Fineasy and Sin Chuea Khwam Suk (Happy Credits)—on smartphones directly from the factory.

Complaints against these brands have been filed by consumer groups, including the Thailand Consumer Council, a non-governmental organisation.

Wethang noted that the number of complainants against Oppo and Realme had increased from 11 to 40 people.

A committee of specialists from the ministry will investigate the matter and impose penalties on the distributors of the two smartphone brands as appropriate, he added.

Additionally, the DES Ministry plans to implement proactive measures to prevent all smartphone brands from pre-installing such illegal loan apps in the future.

According to Wethang, only ten personal loan apps have been approved by the BOT, as listed on the central bank’s website:


SeaMoney (Capital) Co., Ltd.
Ascend Nano Co., Ltd.
Abacus Digital Co., Ltd.
AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd.
Kasikornbank Public Co., Ltd.
Ayudhya Capital Services Co., Ltd.
Siam Commercial Bank Public Co., Ltd.
GFIN Services (T) Co., Ltd.
Krungthai Card Public Co., Ltd.
Rabbit Cash Co., Ltd

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AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL


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