BANGKOK: Thailand’s economy is expected to improve in the first quarter of next year (1Q26) after a slowdown in the second half of this year, the central bank chief says.
Bank of Thailand governor Vitai Ratanakorn also told a business seminar yesterday that the country needs to tackle its bad debt, with support measures set to be finalised over the next one or two weeks.
The measures to address debt are expected to help about two million people, he said.
The government has said it will spend 10 billion baht or about US$305.34mil this month to buy bad debt, as part of its plans to revive its sluggish economy.
Thailand’s stubbornly high levels of household debt have shackled the economy for years, with the ratio of household debt to gross domestic product standing at 86.8% at the end of June, among the highest levels in Asia.
The amount of debt stood at 16.3 trillion baht or about US$497.71bil.
The central bank forecasts that the Thai economy, which has lagged regional peers in recent years, will grow 2.2% this year and 1.6% next year. Growth last year stood at 2.5%. — Reuters
