Thailand is urging Australian digital design platform Canva to establish a regional office and an AI-design research centre in the country to develop local talent and bolster the creative economy, according to Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.
Speaking about the outcomes of the prime minister’s official visit to Australia, Ekniti said expanding collaboration with Canva presents a vital opportunity to link Thai designers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the education sector directly into the global digital market.
Thailand currently ranks as Canva’s sixth-largest market globally, boasting over 7 million monthly active users and more than 30 million cumulative accounts.
Globally, Canva serves over 265 million monthly users across 190 countries, including 475 Fortune 500 companies.
Ekniti stated that the government aims to transition Thailand from being just consumers of technology to a regional base for design technology and workforce development, ensuring that Thai citizens and businesses grow alongside global tech platforms.
To empower local businesses, the Department of Business Development and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency aim to assist 40,000 Thai SMEs in improving product packaging, branding and marketing campaigns to boost competitiveness at home and abroad.
The initiative also seeks to expand the number of Thai Canva creators, from 190 to 1,000 by 2028. By enhancing their AI capabilities, local designers will gain direct pathways through which to distribute their work globally and generate sustainable revenue.
In the education sector, the government is partnering with the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) and the Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) to scale free Canva education access. The goal is to double user numbers to 6.6 million teachers and students by 2028.
Ekniti added that, amid ongoing global supply chain shifts and geopolitical uncertainties, deepening economic partnerships with tech-focused nations like Australia will strengthen Thailand's economic resilience, create high-value jobs and drive long-term growth.
Thailand and Australia possess complementary strengths. Thailand excels in food production and processing, while Australia is prominent in AgriTech, renewable energy, digital technology and advanced manufacturing. Cooperation in the creative economy and AI, therefore, serves as another key sector capable of generating added value for the economic relationship between both countries.
“The goal is not just to attract global technology companies, but to enable Thai people and Thai businesses to grow alongside global technology, from students and designers to SMEs, and to position Thailand to play a greater role in the global creative and digital economies,” Ekniti stated.
