Economy and commerce
Drop seen in demand for household loans this quarter
Demand for household loan is expected to decline in the first quarter of this year in line with the current economic situation that has affected consumers’ spending, according to a survey on loan tendency by the Bank of Thailand (BOT),The survey was conducted among executives ...
The Nation Reporter
Investment misses public target levels
A meagre 25 billion baht in investment budget was doled out in the first three months of fiscal 2020, as the months-delayed 3.2-trillion-baht budget bill has yet to be enforced, says a source at the Finance Ministry who requested anonymity.The disbursed budget accounted for 4.4% ...
Wichit Chantanusornsiri
New Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce head outlines policies
The new President of the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Narongsak Puttapornmongkol, is promoting a policy supporting joint investment, connecting the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). He has expressed confidence that Chinese investment in Thailand will grow, as the chamber is ...
Praphorn Praphornkul
BOT widens QR code payment services in Asean
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has said it would expand the QR cross-border payment to three Asean countries — Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia — and the service was expected to begin in the middle of this year, BOT assistant governor for payment systems policy and ...
The Nation Reporter
Customs Department targets improvement in ‘ease of doing business’ ranking
Thailand aims to improve its ranking in “Ease of Doing Business” in 2021, Krisda Jinawijarana, director-general of Customs Department, said on Friday (February 7). He said the department was making improvements in five areas.“The Customs Department is committed to improving Thailand’s infrastructure and procedures in ...
The Nation Reporter
January inflation highest in last eight months
The consumer price index representing the cost of inflation stood at 102.78 points in January, 1.05 per cent more than in December and the highest in eight months, Pimchanok Wonkorporn, director of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, reported this week.She attributed the increase to ...
The Nation Reporter
Virus imperils Thai economy
We now see downside risks to Thailand’s growth outlook in 2020, given the impact from the coronavirus outbreak on the tourism industry and broader economic sentiment.Our core view is Thai economic growth would rebound to 3.0% this year, following an estimated 2.5% expansion in 2019. ...
BoT cuts key rate to record-low 1%
The Bank of Thailand (BoT) slashed its policy rate by 25 basis points to a fresh record low of 1% at this year’s first meeting in an effort to shore up an economy battered by the coronavirus epidemic and the months-long delay in the fiscal ...
Somruedi Banchongduang
Consumer index continues to dip
Consumer sentiment keeps falling, with the deadly virus outbreak adding to key concerns in addition to the delayed fiscal 2020 budget, the domestic economic slowdown and political instability.The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) on Wednesday reported the consumer confidence index dropped to ...
Phusadee Arunmas
Thai GDP growth forecast for the year slashed
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has revised downward the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to between 2 per cent and 2.5 per cent from the previously forecast 2.5 to 3 per cent.The revision is in line with the ...
The Nation Reporter