Track Thailand's economy in English — business, trade, finance and market news, covered by Thai PBS World, Thailand's public broadcasting service.
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has urged the Bank of Thailand to review its policy rate, cut the credit card interest rate, from 8% to 5%, and to narrow the spread between lending and deposit rates, to ease the financial burden on households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Of late, the
The 5:2 vote by the Thai central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hold the key policy rate at 2.50 per cent is a hint of an impending rate cut at their next meeting, according to some economists. The MPC decision in January disappointed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his aides who had been forcefully arguing
Foreign investors are reluctant to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) because of delays in some major infrastructure projects, among them the high-speed train linking U-Tapao, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, according to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and government sources. The high-speed train project has been delayed for four years, since the
The Thai private sector should brace for a global economic reset, amidst the uncertainty over geo politics and the changing political landscape, which will lead to a multi-polar world order and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), warned Dr. Phatcharaphot Nuntramas, first executive vice present and chief economist of the state-run Krungthai Bank. Citing the
Thailand’s biggest economic challenge is that its economy has been growing at slower pace, about 3% per annum, than Malaysia and China, at about 5% annually, because it lacks the ability to attract foreign investors, according to Dr. Kobsak Pootrakool, executive vice president of the Bangkok Bank and a respected economist, in an exclusive interview
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has reiterated the government’s determination to resolve formal and informal debt problems within the 4-year term of his administration. He said that the progress in tackling the debt problem over the past two months reflects his administration’s sincere intention to help people escape from the debt trap. Debtors are divided into
Valentine’s Day is expected to cost consumers more this year as inflation remains sticky. Yet despite the economic doldrums, they are planning to celebrate the official day of love with their sweethearts and buy gifts for them to show how much they care. Flowers rank third on the list of top gifts even though the
The Thai government is expected to announce new measures today to solve the debt problems of Thai people, after it was revealed that, by the end of last year, household debt had soared by 3.7% year-on-year to 13.7 trillion baht, including 1.05 trillion baht in non-performing loans (NPLs). Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who is also
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), has not approved or rejected the government’s beleaguered “digital wallet” scheme, but has expressed concerns that it may fall foul of the Constitution and fiscal discipline and may be open to corruption. NACC Secretary-General Niwatchai Kasemmongkol told a news conference today that the NACC had set up a panel to
Thailand’s consumer price index has dropped for four months in a row, to 106.98 points in January this year, which is the lowest since February 2021, said Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director of the Office of Trade Policy and Strategy. For the entire year, it is forecast that inflation will range from 0.3% to 1.7%, or an
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the dumping of cheap Chinese-made elephant pants in the Thai market is a normal and opportunistic trade practice that should serve a lesson for Thai businesses to work faster to protect their interests. The prime minister was responding to a reporter’s question about the flooding of Thai market with
Thailand and Sri Lanka signed a free trade agreement (FTA) and more in Colombo yesterday, aimed at boosting bilateral trade. Prime Minister Srettha, who was in Sri Lanka to witness the signing, the second of its kind between the two countries, said in his Facebook post that the FTA will enable Thailand to expand trade
