Track Thailand's economy in English — business, trade, finance and market news, covered by Thai PBS World, Thailand's public broadcasting service.
A group of foreign tourists, mostly German, arrived on Thailand’s popular resort island of Phuket on Saturday. They are the first in more than a year. They are here under the “Sandbox” travel bubble program, which is aimed at gradually reopening Thailand to foreign arrivals as the COVID-19 situation improves. The visitors flew from Frankfurt
Proponents of cryptocurrency are celebrating after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reached a conclusion on how to regulate trading of the asset in Thailand. “Very glad to see this outcome. It seems to be a very highly anticipated decision, and a lot of members of the public have written to the SEC regarding this
A landmark ruling last month by the Constitutional Court has handed the Thai government a lifeline in its three-decade-old battle over the multibillion-baht Hopewell saga. On March 17, the court overturned the Supreme Administrative Court’s 2002 resolution on the statute of limitations for the Hopewell case. The court explained that the resolution was invalid because it had not
Thailand’s Finance Ministry announced the end of the two phases of the populist co-payment scheme on March 31st, with total spending amounting to 102.065 billion baht, 52.2 billion by consumers and 49.8 billion borne by the taxpayer. Kulaya Tantitemit, director of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesperson for the Finance Ministry, said Thursday that 14,793,602
As more people and businesses invest in digital currencies, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) faces the delicate task of trying to balance financial stability and investor protection on the one hand while promoting innovation in financial services on the other. Determined to push ahead, the BOT began piloting its own prototype digital currency scheme last
Foreign tourists who carry a COVID-19 vaccine passport will be able to enjoy Phuket’s blue seas and white sands without having to undergo quarantine, provided the Thai government approves the Phuket Tourism Sandbox initiative. The “sandbox” trial scheme will top the agenda today at the country’s first Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) meeting. To
Thailand’s Finance Ministry is working on the third phase of the 50:50 co-payment scheme, which is expected to be launched in May, to boost domestic consumption. Kulaya Tantitemit, director of the Fiscal Policy Office, said that three stimulus packages, namely Rao Chana (We Win), Rao Rakkan (We Love Together) and Rao Tiew Duaikan (We Travel
Tour bus operators on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket are asking for help from the provincial administration after being sued for missing their lease repayments, with some facing bankruptcy, due to a year of unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Phuket Bus Operators 30 Association, representatives of the Phuket Double Deck Tour Bus Operators
The cabinet approved financial measures today (Tuesday), worth 350 billion baht, to help financially-troubled businesses overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial package includes 250 billion baht in soft loans and 100 billion baht for “asset warehousing”, whereby debtors use their assets as collateral with the right to redeem or to rent their
Mango orchard owners in Thailand’s northern province of Phitsanuloke are seeking help from the provincial administration to promote the sale of their sweet fruit, particularly Barracuda Mango variety. They complain that, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, their mangoes are not being exported, due to fewer buyers, and their prices have plunged to between 10
A merger that could essentially wipe out mom-and-pop stores in Thailand has sparked a public outcry leading to legal action. Consumer groups led by the Foundation for Consumers on March 15 filed a lawsuit against the Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC). The case calls on the Administrative Court to cancel OTCC’s decision to allow agribusiness giant
Once a prosperous airline and national pride, Thai Airways International (THAI) is now struggling to clear a mountain of debt during the global aviation industry’s darkest days. The national flag carrier submitted an 88-page rehabilitation plan to the Bankruptcy Court on March 2 as part of its move to repay Bt410 billion in debts owed
