CLICX Virtual Bank Picks Thought Machine Core System

The CLICX virtual bank, one of Thailand's first new digital-only banks, has chosen London-based Thought Machine to run its core banking system, the companies said on November 3, according to FinTech Futures and Tech in Asia. CLICX will use Thought Machine's Vault Core platform to offer loans to freelancers, gig workers and small business owners.

CLICX is a joint venture between Krungthai Bank, mobile operator Advanced Info Service (AIS) and PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR), the retail arm of state energy group PTT.

What the deal involves

Vault Core is the system that keeps track of accounts, balances, loans and interest. According to Thought Machine, the deal gives CLICX:

• a real-time engine that can model credit risk using behavioural data from mobile, retail and payment networks;
• the ability to build, launch and change products, or adjust interest rate models, in-house;
• a way to embed financial services into the mobile, retail and payment channels of its parent companies.

With this data, CLICX plans to offer nano-loans and digital personal loans to more people, with risk-based pricing and personalised interest rates. Tech in Asia noted that CLICX says it uses customer-consented data, and that any use of personal data must comply with Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

Who is behind CLICX

The consortium began work on CLICX in July 2025, secured a virtual bank licence from the Bank of Thailand in May 2026 and launched the following month with deposit accounts and loans, FinTech Futures reported. FinTech Futures put its registered capital at 5 billion baht (about $150 million).

The bank is led by chief executive Suporn Sunthornrohit and chairman Supattanapong Panmeechow. Chief technology officer Wannasit Chaiphinan said the goal is a bank that understands how people live and work. CLICX says it is the first of Thailand's new virtual banks to be ready to operate in line with the central bank's timetable.

The race for Thai digital banking

The Bank of Thailand's framework allows up to three virtual bank licences. The other two groups are SCB X, working with KakaoBank and WeBank, and a group led by ACM Holding and Ascend Money, the fintech arm of Charoen Pokphand Group.

Thought Machine already powers several digital banks in the region, including Trust Bank in Singapore, Rize from Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia and UnionDigital Bank in the Philippines.

What it means for users

Virtual banks have no branches and serve customers through apps. Their main promise is easier credit for people who struggle to borrow from traditional banks because they lack payslips or a credit history, such as delivery riders, online sellers and street vendors. In tourist areas like Phuket, where many people earn irregular incomes, that could widen access to small loans, though borrowers should still compare interest rates carefully.

Read more in our report on how Thailand welcomed its first virtual banks and the new Bank of Thailand rules on BNPL and gold.

Photo: Bangkok skyline, March 2023, by Sharon Hahn Darlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. File photo.