Originally Posted by
peteropny
UOB bought the former Bank of Asia (a Thai Bank) from ABN Amro.
Right. Hence the UOB logos on the "Robot Building" on Sathorn. Bank of Asia didn't seem to have a lot of ATMs or branches or min-branches in many areas frequented by visitors, but I think UOB is putting out more ATMs. Or maybe I'm just noticing them more.
IIRC, the Citi office on Sathorn is quite close to the intersection with the road (huge long Thai name) on which the Chong Nonsi BTS station is located. It should be easily walkable from the BTS.
Since Thailand is the country I visit most in Asia, I've considered getting an account at a bank that has significant operations in Thailand in order to make moving or withdrawing money easier. But while Citi and HSBC have a respectable presence in other Asian countries, they don't have much of a retail presence in Thailand. For now, I can't really think of any options for banks with a strong retail presence in Thailand and other countries. So sucking up the fees on ATM's and forex conversions from my Wachovia account seems to be the best option, at least for now.