Economy and commerce

The National Credit Bureau’s 104 members saw an upsurge in non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to 8.1% at the end of March from 6.8% a year earlier as headwinds such as the coronavirus outbreak took hold, says the NCB.Bad loans for mortgages, auto and personal loans ...

The troubled debt restructuring (TDR) scheme offered to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was affected by subpar economic growth, a stumbling block for many firms in accessing additional lending as well as the central bank’s sponsored soft loans, says the head of the National Credit ...

The Finance Ministry will raise Bt50 billion from sale of savings bonds to mitigate the Covid-19 impact on the economy and society. The bonds will be on sale from May 14 to June 10 this year.Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said that saving bonds were one ...

A 400-billion-baht borrowing plan intended for economic and social rehabilitation after the pandemic to strengthen the domestic economy will be added to the cabinet’s agenda next week, with the first batch expected to be doled out later this month.Rehabilitating the farming sector is crucial to ...

Thailand’s economy may shrink 3%-5% this year, sharply down from growth of 1.5%-2.0% projected in March, as the coronavirus pandemic hits global demand and domestic activity, a group of leading business associations said on Thursday.The group also cut its forecast for 2020 exports, a key ...

The Thai Chamber of Commerce is pondering whether to back a controversial proposal to have Thailand join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to boost international trade in the aftermath of Covid-19.The trade agreement involving a newly formed bloc of 11 Pacific ...

Thailand’s cross-border trade fell by 7.6% year-on-year in the first quarter as the coronavirus hit the global economy and led bordering countries to close dozens of checkpoints.The Foreign Trade Department on Tuesday said the country’s overall cross-border trade, including transit trade, totalled 264.97 billion baht ...

The consumer price index (CPI), a gauge of headline inflation, fell 2.99% year-on-year in April, the biggest decline in 10 years and nine months.The major contributions came from energy prices, which saw the biggest drop in 11 years and two months, and discount goods and ...

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has prepared a recovery plan to boost the grassroots economy and rebuild industry through a local economy scheme to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.The economic recovery plan aims to help businesses move towards high-value-added products and sustainable growth in ...

The economy is likely to stage a V- or U-shaped recovery, while a W-shaped rebound is not far-fetched if a second wave of coronavirus occurs, says a senior official at the central bank.The V- or U-shaped recovery mainly depends on foreign tourist arrivals and the ...