Thailand

A Chinese electric vehicle at the Bangkok International Motor show in March 2022. EVs are one of the areas Thailand is promoting for investment.
Economy

Thailand hosts giant China business convention to lure FDI

Country to promote EVs and other sectors to 4,000 attending in Bangkok

14 June 2023
aCommerce provides brands across Southeast Asia with services to ramp up their online store operations, marketing, customer service and fulfillment. (Source photo by Getty Images and logo from aCommerce's website)
DealStreetAsia

Thailand's IPO-bound aCommerce trims head count

'Difficult decisions' come amid structural transition, market uncertainty

13 June 2023
Tao Bin vending machines in Thailand offer a variety of affordable, customizable drinks. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Consumer

Cashless smart vending machines take China and Thailand by storm

Devices in Singapore and Malaysia serve up medicine and supplements

13 June 2023
Bangkok's annual Pride parade took place on June 4, drawing thousands of participants from around the world. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

'Open minded' Thailand banks on LGBT tourists, 'boys love' exports

Bangkok Pride events draw long-haul tourists who stay for days after the parade

11 June 2023
Arun Plus and CATL said the long-term goal of their partnership is establishing a battery cell plant in Thailand.
Automobiles

CATL to develop EV batteries with Thailand's Arun Plus

$104 million factory to start production in 2024

9 June 2023
Really Cool Airlines is expected to be Thailand's next new carrier. (Photo courtesy of Really Cool Airlines)
Transportation

Thailand's four brand-new airlines to stir up competition

Carriers seek to capture tourism boom, but headwinds await

7 June 2023
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat holds a "No. 1" victory pose at a news conference in Bangkok after winning the Thai general election on May 15. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
The Big Story

Thailand's moment of truth: Pita's struggle for new regime continues

Move Forward pressured to scrap proposed royal reforms as it seeks to govern

7 June 2023
Pita Limjaroenrat and other leaders hold a news conference at coalition partner Pheu Thai's headquarters in Bangkok on June 6. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thailand's Pita transfers controversial media shares

Move Forward coalition sets up working groups on corruption and other issues

6 June 2023
Members of the Department for the Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine inspect a cannabis shop on Khaosan Road in Bangkok on April 20. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Society

Thailand cannabis industry in limbo a year after decriminalization

Move Forward Party's planned curbs loom over booming industry

6 June 2023
Thai prime ministerial hopeful Pita Limjaroenrat stands accused of owning media company stock in violation of the constitution. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thai PM hopeful fights accusation of election wrongdoing

Allegations could disqualify Pita from taking prime minister's seat

5 June 2023
Venture capital companies are facing a tougher fundraising environment, as U.S.-based investors have grown wary following the banking crisis that started in March. (Source photo by Reuters)
Market Spotlight

ASEAN's VC 'funding winter' worsens on Grab, GoTo slowdown

Wary venture capital investors slash valuations of startups as interest rates rise

5 June 2023
While traditional Thai political parties paid canvassers to mobilize voters, Move Forward leaders went all over the country to spread the group's message of reform and change.
Opinion

Thailand's traditional elite should seek compromise while it can

Move Forward's victory shows forces of change have momentum and broad support

2 June 2023
A car washed away by floods caused by Typhoon Goni in the Philippines in 2020.
Climate Change

Children in Vietnam, Philippines face high climate risks: report

UNICEF urges countries to develop infrastructure to minimize impact

1 June 2023
G-Yu Creative CEO Yupharet Eakturapakal points to the strategic approach taken by South Korea to promote its culture overseas, calling on Japan to do the same. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Media & Entertainment

Thailand's Japan Expo organizer urges J-pop to look outward

G-Yu Creative's CEO insists Japanese culture can win more popularity

1 June 2023
The Bank of Thailand raised its key interest rate a quarter point to 2.0% on May 31, as it seeks to head off inflation.
Economy

Bank of Thailand raises key interest rate to 2.0%

Central bank tightens policy for sixth time as inflation lingers

31 May 2023
Tesla test drives are already available at a temporary store in Bangkok. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Automobiles

Tesla to open flagship EV store in Bangkok as Thai sales grow

Showroom with service center aims to boost share in new Southeast Asian market

30 May 2023
Workers assemble a new BMW X3 vehicle for local distribution at a Gaya Motor assembly plant, part of Astra International, in Jakarta, in July 2018.
Automobiles

Indonesia challenges Thailand's title as the 'Detroit of Asia'

Rich mineral resources for batteries give archipelago leg up in EV shift

28 May 2023
The arrival of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, will likely shake up Thailand's digital asset market. (Source photos by Reuters and screenshot from Gulf's website) 
Cryptocurrencies

Binance gains first Southeast Asian license from Thailand

Joint venture with Gulf Energy to begin operations in Q4

26 May 2023
Thailand's remote Koh Mak island boasts the hallmarks of a tropical paradise. (Photos by Ron Emmons unless specified otherwise)
Life

Thai island makes a virtue of simplicity

Koh Mak may be a model for sustainable tourism

26 May 2023
Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned against a new cold war at the Future of Asia forum in Tokyo on May 25. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
The Future of Asia 2023

Asian leaders home in on economic security in face of U.S.-China rift

Future of Asia speakers welcome 'de-risking' and urge return to multilateralism

26 May 2023
Singtel operates data centers with a total capacity of 60 megawatts and projects under development will more than double this number.
Telecommunication

Singtel embarks on data center push in Indonesia, Thailand and beyond

Singapore telecom leader also eyes sites in Malaysia and Vietnam with local partners

26 May 2023
Efforts to elevate the quality of Thai coffee have helped create a flourishing cafe culture in the northern city of Chiang Mai and improve the livelihoods of local farmers, many of whom belong to ethnic minority groups. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images, Denis Gray)
Life

Thailand adds quality coffee to its export menu

Specialty brews include one made from beans found in elephant feces

25 May 2023
Shares in Thailand's largest independent power generating company Gulf Energy were down 7.6% on Tuesday compared with the price prior to the election on May 14.
Thai election

Thai election results hammer power and construction companies

Move Forward party pledge to cut energy bills, raise wages hits industry outlook

24 May 2023
Parties affiliated with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had won five straight general elections before the streak was broken this year. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Thai election

Thai election defeat shatters Thaksin's myth of invincibility

Former prime minister may have lost his touch over years in exile

23 May 2023
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, center, poses with coalition party leaders during a press conference to announce their agreed agenda in Bangkok on May 22. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Move Forward coalition agrees on cannabis control, puts off lese-majeste

Thai parties pledge marriage equality, constitutional reform on coup anniversary

22 May 2023