Versus Trade’s Janis Baltalksnis spoke at Finance Magnates Singapore Summit 2026 on Thailand and Vietnam markets
Versus Trade took part in the Finance Magnates Singapore Summit 2026, held from May 12–14 at Suntec, Singapore, contributing to one of the event’s key regional discussions focused on Southeast Asia.
Thailand and Vietnam: Markets You Can’t Ignore
During the session “Regional Focus: Thailand, Vietnam”, Janis Baltalksnis, Country Director Thailand & Laos at Versus Trade, joined industry practitioners to examine what it takes to build and operate brokerage businesses in two of the region’s most closely watched markets.
The discussion highlighted the growing strategic importance of both countries. Bangkok continues strengthening its role as a regional hub for accessing CLMV markets, while Vietnam’s accelerating trading volumes have made it increasingly difficult for regional operators to overlook.
Southeast Asia Rejects Copy-Paste Expansion Strategies
Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in Thailand, Janis Baltalksnis focused on one of the session’s central themes: Southeast Asia cannot be approached with standardized regional playbooks.
According to him, success in markets like Thailand and Vietnam depends heavily on localization, operational trust, and understanding how traders actually behave on the ground — far beyond simple acquisition strategies.
“Many companies talk about Southeast Asia as a growth opportunity, but operating here requires much deeper adaptation than people expect,” said Janis Baltalksnis. “You have to understand how local communities communicate, how trust is built, how traders test brokers before committing, and how cultural nuances shape the entire client experience. Without that, scaling sustainably becomes very difficult.”
The discussion also explored how many traders across the region initially enter the market through smaller test deposits, using them to evaluate withdrawal speed, customer support responsiveness, and overall operational reliability before increasing their trading activity.
Janis input also noted that while AI and automation are becoming increasingly important across brokerage operations, markets like Thailand still require strong human oversight due to highly contextual communication styles, making local understanding a critical part of long-term market presence.
Defining Long-Term Growth in SEA
Southeast Asia rewards operators who invest in understanding the market before trying to scale inside it — building trust before chasing volume, adapting to local behavior instead of relying on standardized regional strategies, and developing real presence rather than treating the region remotely.
Throughout the discussion, one message remained consistent: markets like Thailand and Vietnam may attract growing international attention, but long-term success still depends on operational discipline, localization, and the ability to build credibility within highly community-driven environments.
Versus Trade’s participation at Finance Magnates Singapore Summit reflected that approach: not simply discussing SEA as an opportunity, but contributing practical market experience built through active, on-the-ground involvement across the region. The fast-growing broker continues to strengthen its role within the Southeast Asian trading ecosystem, actively engaging with the real-life realities of regional expansion.