based on the necessity of the work, which must not adversely affect customers and the Company. 1.2 Providing COVID-19 vaccination for employees without delay is high on the agenda. 1.3 Imposing strict control measures as follows: meetings are to be held through MS Teams or teleconference systems only, face-to-face meetings are refrained, and in case employees are required to perform duties on the premises, temperature checks must be carried out before entering the building, face mask wearing, etc., all to be strictly observed. 2) Risk management measures in office space 2.1 Temperature screening checkpoints are set up at the main entrance of the office building. Alcohol dispensing service points are strategically distributed around the office. Periodic ozone-based disinfection is to be done throughout the workplace. 2.2 Impose control over the entry and exit of third parties entering or contacting the office, everyone to be subject to mandatory temperature screening and face mask wearing. 3) Business Risk Management Measures 3.1 In the lending business, the companies are cautious in considering the customer’s ability to repay debt as the economic conditions continue to be uncertain. The companies assess the situation as well as the economic impact closely and continuously, and regards this as a factor in determining the loan to the customer. 3.2 Assistance is given to debtors affected economically by the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of suspending debt, extending installment periods and refinancing as necessary and appropriate for each debtor. This is intended to help this group of debtors and prevent them from becoming non-performing loans (NPLs) in the future. 3.3 The high-level executives of all Thanachart Group’s member companies have regular meetings to evaluate and review the plans in accordance with the changing circumstances and report progress to the Board of Directors and sub-committees on an ongoing basis. 3. Shareholder Returns and Performance The Company operates investment business and is the parent company (Holding Company) of Thanachart Group, which operates a wide range of financial businesses including hire purchase business, insurance/life insurance business, securities business, non-performing asset management business, asset-based financing business, and investment business. The Company also holds shares of TTB as well as those in MBK, in a proportionate number for taking part in running their respective business. Realizing the importance of shareholders to the Company, the Company has been paying dividends in return to shareholders since 2002. The Company has a policy of paying dividend based on its performance and long-term shareholder returns. Evidently the Company has managed to steadily maintain dividend payment at an increasing rate. However, in 2021, businesses continued to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially commercial banking and tourism-related businesses. As the Company has main investment in these businesses, it is therefore inevitable that there will be consequences. In 2020, the Company profited from the sale of its investments in AJT, the only one-off profit-taking. As a result, Thanachart Group’s performance in 2021 dropped from the previous year. However, other businesses in which the Company invested still managed to enjoy a satisfactory performance. This is a direct result of implementing risk management strategies that are in line with the Company’s growth strategy. Such implementation includes strengthening the financial position of subsidiaries and supporting the business operation of each subsidiary to have a stable financial position, considering adding more new investments and more aggressively expertise-driven business operations, and expanding the business network of the group’s member companies to generate appropriate returns for shareholders in the long run. Details of dividend payment are as follows: 56-1 One Report / Annual Report 2021 Thanachart Capital Publ ic Company Limited 87
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