Archive

Thailand's car production rose 6.1% year on year in July, per Reuters (headline only; article text not available). If you supply auto parts or serve factory workers, this suggests steady orders in the sector. Check the full data before changing plans.

Nan flood victims' farm compensation doubles under rule change from 2022, not backdated Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit says compensation for farmers hit by the Nan floods (fisheries, livestock, rice) will be doubled, under criteria changed back in 2022, but not applied retroactively. Damage surveys have started, about 80% done, and the total budget is not yet set. Nan farmers and agri-related businesses should check whether their losses qualify and document damage now. A Nan bypass canal project costing about 20 billion baht is under consideration, but no funding source or timeline is confirmed.

Thai Thiao Thai Plus gets 1 million travel vouchers, registration from 1 October, usable from December Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

The Tourism Minister says the Thai Thiao Thai Plus scheme will expand from 500,000 to 1 million rights, funded by 3.5 billion baht from the emergency loan decree. Registration is planned to start 1 October, with the proposal going to cabinet in September, and payments via the Paotang app, ready for use in December. Each person can register up to 5 rights. The scheme is framed as relief for businesses hit by the energy crisis. Eligibility criteria are still being finalised, so tourism-related SMEs should prepare their Paotang setup and watch for the cabinet approval in September.

Songkhla and Koh Lanta bridge contracts signed to a Malaysian contractor, with completion targeted for 2029 Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

The Transport Ministry's rural roads department is signing construction contracts on 31 August for two bridges: a 7 km Songkhla Lake crossing (6,695 million baht combined with Koh Lanta) and a 2.5 km Koh Lanta link. Malaysian contractor CHEC Construction (M) Sdn Bhd won both. Funding is 70% World Bank loan and 30% government budget, with a 1,080-day build period, so completion is expected around 2029. For Trang, Phatthalung, Songkhla and Krabi businesses, the bridges mean shorter trips (Lanta crossing cut from about 2 hours to under 5 minutes, ferry dependence reduced) and more tourism and logistics traffic later. Nothing needs to change now; watch for local subcontracting and supply demand during construction.

Gold prices dip 50 baht today, jewellery sells at 72,600 baht per baht-weight Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

Gold Traders Association prices on 25 Aug 2026 (09.54): bar gold buys at 71,600 baht and sells at 71,800; jewellery (96.5%) buys at about 70,160 and sells at 72,600 baht per baht-weight. Spot gold is about US$4,629/oz. Prices are updated several times a day, so a shop owner dealing in gold should check the current round before quoting. The gap between buy and sell prices is large for jewellery, so price in that spread on any gold-related purchase or sale.

SET delists CIMBT, GLAND and LRH on 12 September; shares trade only via cash balance 3-11 September Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

The SET is delisting Cimb Thai Bank (CIMBT), Grand Canal Land (GLAND) and Laguna Resorts & Hotels (LRH) for failing the minimum free-float rule and being suspended for over a year. Shares can trade briefly from 3 to 11 September 2026, but only on a full cash-balance basis, flagged NC, with no ceiling/floor on 3 September. Delisting takes effect 12 September and the stocks will drop out of the SET Index. Only relevant if you hold these shares or are a counterparty; otherwise no action is needed. Financial statements and 56-1 One Report stay available on the SEC website after delisting.

PM convenes security meeting on Deep South unrest; cabinet meeting in Songkhla stays on 31 Aug–1 Sep Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

After a run of violent incidents in the three Deep South border provinces, the PM held a second security meeting on 25 Aug. The cabinet secretary says the cabinet meeting in Songkhla on 31 Aug–1 Sep is still on. No new business rules, taxes or permits were announced. For a Songkhla or Deep South SME, the practical point is to watch for any travel or curfew changes around the cabinet visit and to keep an eye on the security situation in your area.

Crude oil prices dipped on new US sanctions on Iran, but Hormuz shipping stays tight, so fuel costs may stay volatile Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

Brent fell to about $92.17/bbl (down $2.22) and WTI to about $85.01/bbl (down $2.05) on 24 Aug 2026, as markets judged the new US sanctions on Iran to be largely as expected. Tensions remain: fewer than 20 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, which normally carries about 20% of world oil supply. For Thai SMEs, fuel and transport costs are unlikely to fall much yet. Keep diesel and freight budgets on the cautious side and avoid assuming a sustained price drop.

US sanctions on Iran's backers could cut Thai firms that handle Iranian oil or payments off the dollar system Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

On 24 Aug, the US Treasury announced "Operation Economic Outcast", a secondary-sanctions plan targeting third-country persons, companies and banks that help Iran. It is not yet in force; countries will first receive deadlines to end listed activity. Targets span digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping, and more than 60 entities are named. For Thai SMEs, the practical risk is indirect: avoid payments, shipping, or trade routes linked to Iranian oil or Iranian-linked financial channels, and check counterparties before dealing with them. No direct Thai rule changes are reported in the article.

Baht opens at 32.68 per dollar on 25 Aug, expected to trade 32.50-32.80 over the next 24 hours Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

The baht opened at 32.68 per USD, slightly stronger than the prior close of 32.71, with a 32.50-32.80 range expected for 24 hours. Dollar strength is driven by safe-haven demand over US sanctions on Iran. Watch the US PCE inflation data on Wed 26 Aug and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's speech at Jackson Hole on Fri 28 Aug, since both can move the baht. For importers paying in USD or exporters receiving it, the move is small today; consider forward cover if you have large USD payments or receipts in the coming weeks. Foreign investors sold 707 million baht of Thai bonds and bought 6,530 million baht of Thai stocks yesterday.

Diesel B7 at 38.39 baht and B20 at 33.39 baht a litre on 25 Aug 2026, with B20 up 0.85 baht Prachachat · Aug 25, 2026

Bangchak pump prices on 25 Aug 2026: B7 diesel 38.39 baht/litre, B20 diesel 33.39 baht (up 0.85 baht from the previous day), Gasohol 95 37.69 baht, Gasohol 91 37.32 baht, E20 32.69 baht. Prices exclude the Bangkok local land tax and take effect from 05:00 the next day. Check your own station before budgeting fuel for delivery or transport, and consider whether B20 suits your vehicles.

Thailand's draft power plan may open small nuclear reactors to private investors, but not for at least a decade Bangkok Post · Aug 25, 2026

The 2026 Power Development Plan (PDP), expected to be finalised by end of Q3 2026, may let private investors build and run small modular reactors (SMRs up to 300MW) to replace ageing fossil-fuel small power producers in industrial estates. An unnamed energy official says SMRs could supply steady power and industrial steam, but a project could take over 10 years from announcement to construction. Nothing to act on now; watch the final PDP if you run a factory in an industrial estate that relies on SPP power or steam.

Baht strengthens to 32.58 per dollar and may reach 32.30, squeezing exporters' margins Bangkok Post · Aug 25, 2026

The baht hit 32.58 per dollar on Monday, its strongest in more than two months, after the US Treasury's buyback plan failed to calm worries over US debt. Kasikorn Research expects it could reach 32.30. If you export or earn dollar revenue, expect less baht per sale, so re-check pricing and hedging now. If you import goods priced in dollars, your costs may fall. Gold is also near a three-month high at about 71,850 baht per baht weight, so gold-related sellers should note the price move.

Foreign troublemakers may lose visas, and Malaysian holiday arrivals expected to hold up Bangkok Post · Aug 25, 2026

The Tourism Minister backs revoking visas of foreigners who cause conflicts, after disputes involving Israelis and locals in Koh Samui and Phuket. He says most cases stem from individual behaviour, not all foreigners, and will be handled case by case. He also says unrest in the far South should not hit the Malaysian market during Malaysia's National Day holiday on Aug 31. For tourism-facing businesses in Samui and Phuket, this is a policy signal only; no new rule or deadline is announced.

Nominee crackdown widens: check who really owns your company and whose house it's registered to Bangkok Post · Aug 25, 2026

Authorities are now tracing ownership structures, money flows and Thai shareholders, not just raiding sites. Land held through nominee companies in Krabi and Koh Phangan faces forced sale. In Sakon Nakhon, villagers' house registrations were used to set up companies without their knowledge, exposing homeowners to legal and financial risk. If you are a Thai shareholder for a foreign partner, or your home address is used by companies, review those arrangements now. Foreigners can still own land for businesses through legal channels such as BoI privileges.

The US is letting Mexican cattle cross the border again while screwworm concerns persist; with no article text, the direct effect on Thai beef and feed costs is unclear.

Per the Bloomberg report, the US is considering 7.5% tariffs on Chinese goods it sees as overcapacity, ahead of Xi-Trump talks. No details on products or timing are available here. For a Thai SME, watch for cheaper Chinese imports competing with you, or US tariff shifts affecting Thai suppliers.

Phutthamonthon road closures on Borommaratchachonnani from October will snarl Thonburi-side traffic for about three years Prachachat · Aug 24, 2026

The Department of Highways will start building a 5 km elevated road on Borommaratchachonnani Road (Phutthamonthon Sai 3 to Sai 4) in October 2026, in 6 contracts worth 4,386 million baht, due for completion in 2029. Traffic will be closed in phases, one lane each side beside the median at first, on a road carrying about 265,982 vehicles a day. If your business depends on deliveries or customer access along this corridor, plan alternative routes such as Phran Nok Road and Rama 2 now, and allow extra travel time through 2029.

Village fund members urged to file for the co-paid interest subsidy Prachachat · Aug 24, 2026

The government has approved about 4.4 billion baht to cut interest on loans from village funds, covering about 63,125 funds nationwide. Funds must submit applications to the national village fund office (สทบ.); in Udon Thani only 18.42% of funds had filed so far. Village fund borrowers who run a small business should ask their fund committee whether it has applied. Separately, electricity charges for the first 200 units are set at 3 baht per unit, and road-related charges are to be removed from bills, though the article gives no start date.

AIS SIM owners must update registration details by 31 August 2026 or risk suspension The Story Thailand · Aug 24, 2026

AIS is asking customers who received a notice to update their SIM registration details to match NBTC rules by 31 August 2026. It can be done free via the myAIS app ("อัปเดตผู้ใช้งานซิม"), by dialling *161*2*ID number#, at m.ais.co.th/webrepi, or at AIS Shops, Telewiz and authorised dealers. Unupdated numbers risk suspension, which matters if your business uses that number for banking, delivery or customer contact. Check whether any SIMs registered to your company or staff have received a notice. The article does not say which SIMs are affected or what the penalty is beyond suspension.