Thai power producer Gulf Energy Development expects to finalise a joint venture (JV) with the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, in the second quarter this year, a senior executive said.
“Once we conclude talks with Binance on business model and shareholder agreements, a JV will be formed, which will apply for the licence with regulators,” Gulf chief financial officer Yupapin Wangviwat said in an interview.
She expects the JV to take about six months to obtain the licence for trading and then other features would follow.
Cryptocurrency trading has exploded in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy with transactions reaching 251 billion baht ($7.57 billion) in November, prompting authorities to introduce regulation.
Gulf-Binance Crypto Exchange
The Gulf-Binance crypto exchange would have to comply with regulations, Yupapin said.
Last year Thailand’s securities watchdog filed a criminal complaint against Binance for operating without a digital asset licence.
The move into crypto comes from its owner and CEO Sarath Ratanavadi’s plans to expand into digital infrastructure, which took shape last year when it increased its ownership of InTouch Holdings Pcl to 42% in a 48 billion baht deal.
InTouch owns the country’s largest mobile operator, AIS.
On Thursday, Gulf established a separate JV with Singapore Telecommunications and AIS to build data centres.
Initial plans include 20 to 40-megawatts (MW) of data centres in Thailand, Yupapin said, with an estimated cost of up to $400 million.
“In the longer term we plan to reach 100 MW,” Yupapin said on growing demand.
Gulf Energy traces its beginnings to 1990s and began making its mark after winning multiple power agreements including contracts worth 5.3-gigwatts in 2013.
It went on to have one of Thailand’s biggest IPOs in 2017, catapulting Sarath onto the Forbes Rich list, which currently ranks him as fifth richest in Thailand with a net worth of $12.4 billion.
Gulf also expanded its infrastructure portfolio in recent years, snapping up projects including a $1.3 billion LNG project and $927 million container terminal with the government in recent years.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
ALSO READ:
Binance Crypto Exchange Gets In-Principle Nod from Bahrain
Binance Affiliate to Withdraw Singapore Licence Application
Binance to Acquire 18% Stake in Hg Exchange: Straits Times
