The Department of Business Development reports 7,512 new businesses registered in July 2026, down 5.85% from June and 2.57% from July 2025. Registered capital rose to 53,647 million baht, but mostly because one energy company (Banpu, 40,496 million baht) registered. Year to date, new registrations are up 1.43% (52,285 firms), while dissolutions are up 13.72%. Foreign investment permits rose 37% in capital to 219,208 million baht over seven months. Relevant mainly as market context: online retail, restaurants and clothing retail registrations grew fastest, which may mean more competition in those segments.