Archive
August 24, 2026
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Thailand is pushing to finish the Thailand-EFTA free trade deal by end of this year or sooner, and is also negotiating with South Korea, ASEAN-Canada and Middle East countries. SMEs make up only 13-15% of exports. Even with an FTA, buyers (especially the EU) increasingly check sustainability, technology and supply-chain traceability, not just price and tariffs. Start documenting your production and sourcing now. The article also notes SME credit has fallen for 16 straight quarters, so plan financing for upgrades early. Government support funds for FTA adjustment are being proposed but no details are given.
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Commerce Minister Supajee outlined seven priorities after 90 days. Trade talks on FTA, the ART agreement and US Section 301 come first, and the ministry says about 72% of Thai goods linked to the US are already exempt from related measures. The ministry targets double-digit export growth, with exports around 6.2-6.3 trillion baht so far. It also flagged transport costs, energy prices and geopolitics as the main risks to competitiveness. For SMEs: check whether your US-bound products fall under the exemption, and plan around rising logistics and energy costs. No specific new rule or deadline is announced in this article.
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Several Thai banks are changing airport lounge perks from free-with-card to conditional on spending. Most cards need roughly 10,000 to 100,000 baht of spend, averaging 2 domestic lounge visits a year, and new customers may have to build up spend immediately. Global access often needs 500,000 to 1,000,000 baht of spend, or high-tier cards or Privilege Banking. Lounge access without a card costs about 850 to 1,850 baht per visit, or Priority Pass from about 3,200 baht a year. Check your card's conditions if you or your staff rely on these perks for business travel.
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The Department of Intellectual Property is taking six Thai GI food products to the APAC Food & Beverage Expo 2026 in Singapore, with a business-matching session. Early negotiations are expected to reach at least 30 million baht. If your product holds a GI registration, or you make a food item that could be paired with one, ask the DIP about joining the matching sessions. The article gives no registration costs, deadlines or application process.
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The Department of Internal Trade is inspecting feed-corn buying points in 22 provinces from 20 August to December 2026, targeting 1,475 buying sites, 1,051 moisture meters and 1,497 scales. Inspectors check meter accuracy, certification dates, price displays, weigh slips and buying rules, and will act under the law on wrong tools or unfair buying. Recent checks in Nakhon Sawan and Phetchabun found prices posted at 9.13 baht/kg for 14.5% moisture and 7.14 baht/kg for 30% moisture, with a deduction of 7 kg per tonne for each 0.5% moisture above that level. If you sell corn or run a buying point, check your scales and moisture meters are certified and your posted prices and slips match. Farmers can report unfair buying to the hotline 1569.
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Thailand's unemployment rate reached 0.95% in Q2 2026, the highest in seven quarters, with 400,000 people out of work (up 9.7% year on year). Insured unemployment hit 2.37%, the highest since March 2022, and 7,024 businesses deregistered in the first half, up 12.5%. Real wages fell 2.88% after adjusting for 2.70% inflation, with freelancers down 4.54%. SCB EIC expects continued pressure in the second half. For a small business, expect a looser hiring market and weaker consumer spending power, so plan staffing and pricing with caution.
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Floods in Nan province, especially Pua district, have damaged farmland, homes and infrastructure. The Department of Agricultural Extension has set new disaster-aid steps: check your farmer registration, file form กษ 01 for community verification, then payment goes through ธ.ก.ส. Aid covers up to 30 rai per household across four occupation groups. If you farm or supply farmers in the North, register and file early, since payment depends on verified damage.
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Finance Minister Ekniti says a special business tax on online gold trades without physical delivery is under study and conclusions are expected soon. The aim is to track transactions and close off grey-money channels, not to raise revenue. The gold traders' association will meet him, and the Revenue Department and Bank of Thailand plan a separate tax framework and a cap on large online gold transactions. If your business buys or sells gold online or takes gold as payment, check how your transactions are recorded and expect reporting duties; honest operators should be protected under the planned talks.
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The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) is recommending a PM-appointed chair for the new data-centre policy committee, gazetted last week. Rules on water and power use are being drafted, with water flagged as the biggest issue, and no date given. Earlier, Thailand paused data-centre investment promotion for a period and now requires power guarantees. For a small business, nothing changes today. Watch for water and electricity rules if you supply, lease to, or compete for water and power with data-centre projects.
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The Rama 2 elevated motorway (M82) from Bang Khun Thian through Ekachai to Ban Phaeo, about 25 km, opens to the public on 28 August 2026 at 10:00, free of charge and 24 hours a day. Entry and exit points are Phan Thai Narasingh, Mahachai 1 and 2, and Ban Phaeo. Speed caps apply: 80 km/h for cars and 65 km/h for trucks and buses. Motorcycles, bicycles, tricycles and pedestrians are barred. Delivery drivers and trucking firms on the Rama 2 corridor can use it for faster trips to the south, but not for two-wheel or tricycle routes. The link to the Rama 3 expressway is not expected until late 2026, and full tolling is planned for 2029.
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The Fisheries Department says it is rushing 23 secondary regulations after the 2025 amendment to the Fisheries Emergency Decree (71 sections, gazetted 7 November 2025). Thailand exported fishery products worth about 223 billion baht (1.67 million tonnes) in 2025. Expect tighter catch certificates, traceability through VMS/ERS/electronic monitoring, stricter rules on foreign crew and labour permits, and a fleet-reduction programme (phase 3 approved 3 August 2026). If you buy seafood, process it, or run a vessel or crew-supply business, check which new rules apply to your supply chain once the sub-regulations are issued.
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About 50 coordinated bomb and arson attacks hit Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala on Saturday night, and another struck a municipal office in Pattani's Pho Ming on Sunday. Officials have not identified a motive or the perpetrators. Peace-restoration talks for the far South are expected to resume in late October. For businesses in the far South, expect heightened security checks and possible disruption to transport and government-linked work in the near term.
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Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas says a tax on gold businesses is being studied to track transactions and close loopholes used to hide illicit money. He says rates will not be high and will follow international standards. A tax on imports of gold bought for speculation rather than processing is also under study, after talks with the Thai Gold Traders Association. No timeline or rate has been set. Gold shops and bullion traders should keep clean transaction records and watch for the consultation.
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The Thai government's Om Plus savings bonds (round 2, 2,000 million baht) take subscriptions 7–9 September 2026 via a securities trading or Thai stock account. Two series: 3-year at a fixed 1.80% and 10-year at a fixed 2.80%, both paying interest every 3 months. Minimum order is 1,000 baht and allocation is by small-lot-first, so smaller buyers get a fair share. For a business owner, this is a low-risk place to park spare cash or personal savings, but open a securities account before the window, since that is a prerequisite for subscribing.
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Authorities report new arson and bomb attacks in Thailand's deep south. If your business operates or sources in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala or Songkhla, check route and staff safety plans.
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Regional budget airlines are expecting a recovery, but fuel price shocks are still hurting their finances. For Thai SMEs, this is background on travel costs: airfares and freight-related fuel surcharges may stay elevated, so factor that into travel budgets and logistics pricing. Title only; article text unavailable.
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The SEC has opened public comment on draft rules for Crypto ETFs in Thailand. Fund managers may launch funds that hold Bitcoin and Ethereum, listed only on the SET, with at least 80% of NAV in crypto on average over the fiscal year. Custody must go through a licensed DA Custodian. Retail investors must confirm they understand the risks, and the SEC will also let Thai funds invest in these ETFs. For a typical SME owner this is background only: no action is needed now, though a personal investor may want to note the proposed risk-disclosure and diversification requirements.
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From 23 Aug 2026 (Bangkok time 23:00 on 22 Aug), DeepSeek API calls made on Saturday and Sunday are billed at the off-peak rate all day, half the peak price. Weekday peak still applies, which for Thai teams falls 08:00-11:00 and 13:00-17:00 Thai time. Earlier calls keep the old rules. Teams running batch jobs (document summaries, evaluations, dataset generation) can schedule them for the weekend. The bigger change still stands: since 16 Aug 2026 the V4-Pro price has risen several times over, and the weekend cut only partly offsets it. Check your current API bill before budgeting.
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Thailand's Finance Minister says talks with the gold association on proposed taxes start this week. Gold shops and jewellers should watch for details on any new tax and how it would affect pricing.
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The US Treasury Secretary announced a major new economic pressure campaign against Iran, aimed at banks, businesses and countries still trading with Tehran. Iran has threatened to block oil exports from the Persian Gulf, including through the Strait of Hormuz. That could raise oil and energy prices and hit shipping. For a Thai SME, check how much your fuel, freight and energy costs depend on imported oil, and consider a buffer in your budget. Also check whether any of your suppliers or payment channels touch Iran-linked trade, since sanctions could affect bank transfers.
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