At the annual academic seminar of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) “FTI Outlook 2026” under the theme “DECODING THAILAND’S INDUSTRY FOR THE UPCOMING FUTURE,” Dr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, delivered a keynote speech on “Policy Vision for Thailand’s Economic Transformation” at PTT Public Company Limited (SET: PTT)’s headquarters. He stated that decoding the industrial sector at present reveals severe ongoing issues.
Recently, the Board of Investment (BOI) reported that in the first nine months of 2025, investment value amounted to about THB 1.3 trillion, leading to development in modern agriculture, data centers, electric vehicle industry, electronics, modern medical, health, and beauty industries.
However, a detailed analysis indicates persistent investment roadblocks. Many talented youth in cloud center technologies are working abroad, such as in Singapore, because Thai technologies are lagging. Thailand has also entered an ageing society. Nevertheless, it is not too late to unlock these issues, especially by increasing investment from 20% back up to 40% of GDP, which requires developing modern workforce skills.
“We must transform people, systems, and technology investments. The BOI is collaborating with FTI and Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) to set labor standards and conduct a four-month sandbox to attract skilled labor, transferring people from old factories to modern facilities,” Dr. Ekniti stated.
He further added that of the THB 1.3 trillion invested by foreign investors through the BOI, THB 470 billion is currently allocated to 70 projects in various stages of processing. Upon closer inspection, 60 of these projects have an investment value of over THB 1 billion each, representing projects with clear development direction.
“I found that 60 projects with concrete direction have a combined value of around THB 300 billion, ready to launch. Next week, we will submit the BOI Fast Pass to the Economic Cabinet. If it can stimulate the economy, it will affect the GDP for all of 2026 and help improve the industrial index next year.
We will also accelerate amendments at the ministerial level to facilitate convenience. For legislation requiring parliamentary approval, this can wait for the next government. We will fast-track processes not requiring government funds to initiate new investments,” said Dr. Ekniti.
He also stated that efforts are underway to accelerate the Thailand Individual Saving Account to stimulate the Thai capital market.
