Visa stated that Thailand is at a defining moment in its digital journey. Over the past decade, the nation has emerged as one of Asia Pacific’s most dynamic digital economies, driven by innovation, government investment, and an increasingly connected consumer base. But as Thailand accelerates towards its next stage of growth, one factor will determine how inclusive and sustainable this transformation becomes: modern payment infrastructure.
I have seen firsthand how countries that modernise their payments ecosystem unlock not just efficiency, but economic empowerment. Visa’s latest whitepaper, “Unlocking the Next Digital Era for Thai SMBs”, highlights Thailand’s opportunity to take the next leap forward, helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) move from basic digital participation to achieving a true digital advantage.
SMBs are the lifeblood of Thailand’s economy, contributing over one-third of GDP and driving innovation across every sector. Yet despite the nation’s strong digital foundations, barriers remain. Cash still accounts for nearly half (46%) of Thailand’s transaction value, and around 80% of SMBs continue to rely on personal cards for business expenses. This fragmentation limits visibility, efficiency, and growth. Moving beyond these silos requires not just new tools, but a new mindset, one focused on connection, collaboration, and intelligent infrastructure.
From Digital Adoption to Digital Advantage
Our research shows that Thai SMBs see digitalisation as central to their future, 60% cite productivity gains as a key benefit, while 56% expect digital tools to help them reach new customers. Yet the average business faces more than four significant digitalisation challenges, ranging from cybersecurity concerns to fragmented payment systems. Over 1,000 cybersecurity incidents were recorded in Thailand in just the first five months of 2025, clear evidence that while digital adoption has accelerated, digital resilience has not kept pace.
For SMBs to thrive, digital payments must evolve beyond being transaction enablers into being data-driven engines for decision-making. When businesses can see where their money flows, in real time, they can make smarter, faster choices about spending, investing, and managing risk. At Visa, our goal is to power that transformation.
Building the Infrastructure for Growth
The future of commerce isn’t about replacing what works, it’s about connecting what exists. In Thailand, we’re helping SMBs simplify complex payment processes and bridge the gap between different systems through Visa’s secure, interoperable solutions. As cross-border eCommerce continues to expand, with Thai online exports expected to reach THB 485.6 billion (US$14.92 billion) by 2026, Visa’s B2B and multi-currency tools are helping businesses move money seamlessly across markets.
Crucially, this transformation requires collaboration across the broader business ecosystem. In Thailand, Visa is embedding payment capabilities directly into the systems that SMBs already rely on, such as SaaS, ERP, and accounting platforms—to make payments more seamless, transparent, and data‑driven. Use cases with companies like DKSH and SAP in Thailand demonstrate how integrated payment data can improve visibility, strengthen financial control, and unlock predictive insights for everyday business operations, helping businesses manage cash flow more effectively and make better‑informed decisions.
A Connected Future for Thai SMB
Thai SMBs are stepping into a future where payments are not just the end of a transaction, they are the start of intelligence. The challenge today is not adoption, but complexity: fragmented systems, manual reconciliation, and limited visibility. At Visa, we see our role as connecting these dots, creating a unified, intelligent view of working capital, customer behaviour, and risk that empowers business leaders to make confident, data-informed decisions.
Thailand’s next chapter will be defined by how well we connect people, platforms, and partners. To unlock the full potential of its digital economy, stakeholders across the ecosystem, banks, fintech, policymakers, and industry players, must act decisively to make modern payment infrastructure accessible to all.
Now is the moment to turn digital payments from a utility into a growth engine. By working together to build secure, interoperable, and insight-driven systems, we can give every Thai SMB the tools to compete, innovate, and thrive in the digital era.
