On 22 January 2026, the landscape of Southeast Asian telecommunications underwent a seismic shift. Telenor Group announced a definitive agreement to divest its 24.95% stake in True Corporation to Arise Digital Technology, an entity wholly owned by Suphachai Chearavanont. The transaction, valued at approximately 100.9 billion THB (roughly $3.94 billion), marks the conclusion of a 25-year multinational partnership and the dawn of a Thai-led era for digital infrastructure.
This is no mere equity shuffle; it is the masterstroke of a strategic pivot by Suphachai to consolidate telecommunications, fintech, and AI assets into a unified, agile investment vehicle: Arise Ventures Group. According to a statement from Arise, to spearhead this transformation, Suphachai notably resigned as CEO of the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, decoupling high-growth “Telecom-Tech” and “Fintech” assets from the traditional agribusiness and retail sectors. This separation allows Arise to operate with the agility of a technology firm rather than a massive, traditional conglomerate.
The Integrated Ecosystem
Suphachai’s strategy rests on several pillars designed to turn Arise and its subsidiaries into a global tech powerhouse. At the foundation is True Corporation, providing the essential 5G and fiber network. Building upon this is Ascend Money, Thailand’s first fintech unicorn and a virtual bank license holder. By integrating True’s 60 million customers with the TrueMoney platform, Suphachai is creating a “closed-loop” system for digital payments, lending, and insurance.
The vision extends into the regional data play through True IDC. As Southeast Asia’s demand for AI and cloud computing surges, True IDC is positioned as the physical hub for the “Trilateral Economy” of Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Meanwhile, the “TRUE-AI” —a generative intelligence platform—aims to automate 40% of internal data tasks, transitioning the organization into an AI-first entity.
Synergies with the CP Empire
While Suphachai has stepped back from the top executive role at CP Group, the strategic link between Arise and CP’s retail empire remains a cornerstone of the plan. The vast network of 7-Eleven, Makro, and Lotus’s provides an unparalleled physical touchpoint. Under the new structure, these synergies will deepen through:
- Data-Driven Retail: Utilizing AI to analyze mobile data and purchase histories for personalized marketing and supply chain optimization.
• Integrated Logistics: Implementing 5G-enabled IoT solutions for real-time tracking across CP’s logistics network.
• Ubiquitous Payments: Scaling TrueMoney as the primary payment method across all CP retail outlets.
A Mission for National Competitiveness
Beyond corporate growth, Suphachai’s move is a pursuit of digital sovereignty. By bringing national infrastructure under domestic control, Thailand reduces its reliance on foreign technology providers.
The Arise-Telenor deal represents the final stage of Southeast Asian consolidation, where local champions assume full control of national infrastructure. Having been named “CEO of the Year 2025,” Suphachai’s influence now bridges the gap between corporate innovation and national policy. By centralizing connectivity, data, and finance under Arise Ventures, he is not just managing a company; he is engineering the foundational architecture of Thailand’s future in the fourth industrial revolution.
