The Thais Help Thais Plus 60/40 co-payment scheme generated more than 86.4 billion baht in its first two months, the government said on Sunday.
Deputy government spokeswoman Lalida Persvivatana said 26,040,623 people had used the scheme by Friday, while 1,192,636 merchants had completed verification.
Of the participating businesses, 977,059 were existing merchants from the previous Khon La Khrueng (Half-Half) Plus programme and 215,577 were newly registered.
New merchants accounted for about 18.1% of participants, which Ms Lalida said reflected the government’s success in bringing more small businesses into the digital payment and commerce system.
Of total spending, 49.6 billion baht came from government subsidies and 36.8 billion baht from consumers. About 96.6% was spent through regular merchants and 3.4% via food delivery platforms.
Ms Lalida said the programme had channelled money through the grassroots economy nationwide, benefiting restaurants, small retailers and other small businesses.
Under the 60:40 model, the government pays 60% and consumers the rest. She said this generated more economic activity than state spending alone while supporting private consumption.
Benefits can be used until Sept 30 for eligible food, beverages, goods and services. The government’s contribution is capped at 200 baht per person per day and 1,000 baht per month.