The Bank of Thailand has made household debt, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) credit and illicit finance 2027 priorities as it raises growth forecasts amid Thailand's uneven recovery, the Bangkok Post reported.
At an Oct. 29 media briefing, Governor Vitai Ratanakorn also identified supervision of nonbank financial institutions as a focus. The Bangkok Post reported that the bank now projects gross domestic product growth of 2.4% in 2026, up from 2.3%, and 2.1% in 2027, compared with an earlier 1.8% estimate. Vitai said the bank had not set a specific timeframe for growth to reach its potential level.
For SME financing, Vitai cited the SME Credit Portal, loan-guarantee mechanisms and alternative data in credit assessments as initiatives to widen firms' access to loans. The Bangkok Post reported that these efforts form part of the bank's response to structural barriers to growth.
Draft regulations would set a 10 million baht ceiling on each cash transaction involving gold. The rules are expected to take effect in November, Vitai said. Existing requirements call for financial institutions to report digital-platform gold transactions worth at least 50 million baht per transaction, while banks must report cash transactions of 5 million baht or more, according to the Bangkok Post.
The outlet reported that cash withdrawals exceeding 5 billion baht had fallen 57% year to date since measures to monitor cash transactions were introduced. Gold withdrawals involving at least two kilograms were down 85% over the same period.
Household debt has fallen to 85.9% of GDP from about 90%, a decline the Bangkok Post linked in part to economic growth. It also reported that lower-income households remain financially vulnerable. Vitai said the bank was focusing on whether individuals and families can afford their debt and on their well-being, rather than relying on the nationwide debt-to-GDP ratio. The existing Clear Debt, Going Forward program has included 182,000 loan accounts held by individuals and SMEs, the outlet reported; Vitai said the bank would explore further debt-management measures.
