Bangkok, October 27, 2014 ? The SEC will allow real estate investment trusts (REIT) to issue and offer for sale of plain debt instruments (REIT bonds) within this year.

Vorapol Socatiyanurak, SEC Secretary-General said, ?The Capital Market Supervisory Board recently approved the regulations on REIT bond offerings. Expected to become effective soon, the new regulations will provide an alternative channel for REIT to obtain a loan at a lower cost with more flexibility while more financial product variety will serve investors with further investment choices. In addition, the new regulations will help promote REIT as an important vehicle for fund raising and investment for long-term growth of real estate development in Thailand.

The approval for REIT bond offerings and information disclosure will be in line with the regulations on debt instrument offerings under which REIT bonds could be either offered to the public or privately placed to high net worth and institutional investors. Moreover, REIT bonds may also be offered concurrently with trust units.?