Thailand

The new Singapore-India payment link is set up to allow real-time virtual transfers of money across borders in seconds, and has been billed as a means to reduce the cost and inefficiencies of remittances between both countries.
Finance

Singapore links digital payments with India after Thailand

Prime Ministers Lee and Modi laud connection of finance infrastructure

21 February 2023
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha campaigns in Bangkok on Jan. 9.
Politics

Prayuth says Thailand parliament to be dissolved in 'early March'

Move would pave way for general election due by early May

21 February 2023
Myanmar migrant workers at a camp for construction staff in Bangkok. Experts say the longer military rule in Myanmar lasts, the more people are likely to leave for Thailand.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar citizens eye escape to Thailand to avoid conflict at home

Strife-torn country pushing out the weary looking for peace of mind

21 February 2023
Nonperforming loans in Thailand banks have fallen consistently throughout 2022. 
Economy

Thai banks' bad loans decrease as debt restructuring picks up pace

But late payments up as households, small businesses struggle in uneven recovery

20 February 2023
Tourists at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Jan. 4. The recovery in tourism has helped the Thai economy but exports remain in a slump.
Economy

Thai GDP grew 2.6% in 2022 as slow exports outweighed tourism gain

Slumping trade behind country's tepid October-December 1.4% rise

17 February 2023
Drought in Cambodia is expected to reduce Vietnam's supply of rice, hindering its ability to export more of the staple to the Philippines.
Agriculture

Thai rice exports to Philippines set to double as Vietnam cuts back

Fresh demand to help boost Bangkok's annual trade in staple to 8.2 million tons

16 February 2023
Tourists take a selfie at Wat Arun temple in Bangkok in January. Starting in June, travelers arriving by air will have to pay a tax of nearly $9.
Economy

Thailand to charge $9 tourist tax from June in sustainability push

Fees to serve as insurance for emergency expenses

15 February 2023
Trading volume on Bitkub doubled to $139 billion on the day that global exchange Binance withdrew its offer to bailout its rival FTX.
Cryptocurrencies

Thai crypto investors turn to local exchanges after FTX collapse

Bitkub covers 75% of crypto trade in Thailand as competitors falter

15 February 2023
Thailand was the third country in ASEAN, after Singapore and Malaysia, that kicked off virtual banking at a time of digital disruption.
Finance

Thailand's big corporations scramble for virtual bank licenses

CP Group, Gulf Energy, AIS join the race as kingdom's financial market heats up

14 February 2023
A man walks through a flooded market in the outskirts of Bangkok in November 2021. Asian countries are especially vulnerable to weather-related hazards.
Technology

AI brings real-time weather alerts to flood-prone Thailand, Vietnam

Japan's Weathernews and startups help Asia clients take early action

14 February 2023
As Thailand draws closer to general elections, the second largest party in the ruling coalition is promising stressed-out households a three-year debt holiday.
Finance

Thai pandemic borrowing binge prompts calls for repayment delays

Household debt emerges as campaign issue with general election looming

13 February 2023
Great Wall Motor's Ora Good Cat is the top-selling electric vehicle in Thailand. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Automobiles

China's Great Wall targets 50% growth in Thai sales this year

Local EV production to start in 2024 as automaker bets big on expanding market

11 February 2023
Protesters hold up a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi and raise three-finger salutes outside Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok to mark the second anniversary of the February 2021 military takeover.
Interview

ASEAN working-level talks key to Myanmar peace: Japan special envoy

Yohei Sasakawa expects chair nation Indonesia to take the lead

10 February 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, attends a welcoming ceremony in Bangkok with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. This was the leaders' first meeting since Anwar took office in November.
Trade

Thailand, Malaysia leaders agree to bolster bilateral trade

Anwar 'optimistic' on facilitating Bangkok's talks with southern rebels

10 February 2023
Thai Airways plans to launch new flights to five Chinese cities this year, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Travel & Leisure

Thai Airways on track to exit rehabilitation early: CEO

Carrier eyes increased service to China and Japan as travel recovers

10 February 2023
Singapore had just three public listings on the bourse's main board last year, raising $389 million in funds, according to Deloitte.
Markets

SGX eyes lift from China's reopening as listings lag ASEAN peers

Singapore Exchange logs $178.6 million net profit amid flagging IPO stream

9 February 2023
Siam Cement Group is close to completing the Long Son petrochemical production complex in Vietnam, shown here. (Photo courtesy of SCG)
Materials

Thailand's SCG hit by global headwinds as it tries to go green

High costs and weak demand cloud outlook for Vietnam paper plant, subsidiary's IPO

7 February 2023
A customer holds a piece of cannabis at a dispensary in Bangkok following its legalization last year.
Politics

Thailand scrambles to control cannabis sales and curb abuse

Buyers must show ID under new measures following decriminalization

7 February 2023
Since Thailand fully reopened for tourism in July 2022, the country has welcomed more than 11 million foreign visitors.
Travel & Leisure

Thai tourism struggles to find workers as visitor numbers swell

Labor shortage creates headwind in sector that once comprised 18% of GDP

6 February 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim: "There must be a peaceful and amicable resolution to the conflict." (Source photo by Reuters)
Politics

Malaysia PM Anwar enters Thai peace talks with separatist rebels

Leader may help jump-start negotiations in Thailand's troubled south

5 February 2023
The Erawan Shrine in Bangkok is on the itineraries of many Chinese visitors to Thailand. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Travel & Leisure

Thailand, Indonesia battle for Chinese group tours post-COVID

Southeast Asia airlines, hotels have edge on Japan, U.S. as travel resumes

5 February 2023
Chinese tourists flocked to Asian destinations like Bali, Indonesia, during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Markets

Hopes for China's economic reopening buoy Asian currencies

Positive signs draw money back to emerging markets, but uncertainty remains

4 February 2023
Singapore-based Coda Payments was among the handful of new Southeast Asian unicorns last year, and Lazada ranked first in the region in overall deal value. (Source photos by screenshot from Coda Payments' website and Reuters) 
Startups

ASEAN startup fundraising slumped in 2022 but still up from 2019

Investors turn to early-stage deals amid dimmer IPO prospects for tech ventures

1 February 2023
Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, appears to be following in the footsteps of military leaders who believe themselves to be reincarnations of ancient Burmese warrior kings. 
The Big Story

Myanmar's iron-fisted ruler Min Aung Hlaing fights to stay on his throne

Two years after seizing power, the general has undone any progress made under civilian rule

1 February 2023
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, right, holds hands with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan during a blessing ahead of the Songkran festival in 2019.
Politics

Prayuth to run against deputy as Thailand primes for elections

Move Forward Party to campaign on constitutional reform

30 January 2023