Thailand must turn global disruptions such as geopolitical tensions, artificial intelligence (AI) and slowing growth into long-term economic opportunities through coordinated investment, according to business leaders at Bangkok Business Summit 2026.
Suphachai Chearavanont, senior vice-chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, urged transforming agriculture into a high-value, demand-driven industry, noting that durian exports generate US$4 billion annually as proof of untapped potential.
‘To capture the AI revolution, we need a five-layer system covering energy, data centres, chip manufacturing, sovereign AI and applied AI,’ said Mr Suphachai.
He also suggested a 100-billion-baht university innovation fund and $10,000 in seed funding grants for student teams to jump-start technology startups and enhance productivity.
Kattiya Indaravijaya, chief executive of Kasikornbank, said lenders must pivot from funding individual transactions to supporting comprehensive business transformation.
‘The firm of the future matters, not only the industry of the future,’ she said, noting wide productivity gaps between companies in the same sector.
Ms Kattiya said banks should channel capital towards productive enterprises while rapidly expanding green and sustainable finance frameworks.
Resilience
Resilience is emerging as a key competitive advantage for Thailand as businesses face mounting pressures from geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, technological disruption and climate-related risks.
Piti Disyatat, deputy governor for monetary stability at the Bank of Thailand (BoT), said resilience should be viewed as a source of competitiveness rather than simply the ability to withstand shocks.
‘Resilience is the new competitiveness. If you can bounce back faster, you gain a competitive edge, while those that cannot risk falling into a low-growth trap,’ he said.
Thailand’s trend growth has flattened after major shocks, unlike in the United States, where gross domestic product (GDP) per person growth has returned to about 2% over the past 150 years.
Mr Piti said declining firm dynamism was a key structural weakness, with slower corporate revenue and asset growth, falling returns on assets and resources increasingly flowing towards less productive companies.
Young firms are also struggling to scale, with average revenue growth after 10 years falling to about 27% for the latest cohort, from around 75% for firms established in 2000.
‘Thailand needs to invest in resilience over time, because a resilient economy can take more risks and generate higher average growth,’ he said.
Beyond internal firm dynamics, Thai businesses face urgent external pressures, particularly from global environmental regulations.
Mr Piti emphasised that adapting to the climate transition is not merely about being green, but rather about staying competitive in global supply chains.
‘To build true economic resilience, policy solutions must focus on improving resource allocation, including upgrading credit infrastructure through an SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) data bureau and credit portals, as well as reforming bankruptcy and foreclosure processes to lower default costs,’ he said.
Harald Link, chairman of B.Grimm and B.Grimm Power Plc, said ensuring the success of advanced manufacturing in business organisations requires the development of intellectual property.
‘I think you can develop your own capabilities by the way you do things or the things you make. And I think we need both. We have to always think about how we can develop our own intellectual property, because all the rest might be taken over by AI,’ he said.
The biggest challenge for Thailand in integrating AI into small businesses is leadership, said Mr Link.
‘People are not against change, but they want to know how the change benefits them. If they think the change is cumbersome, it’s up to the organisation’s leadership to drive that change,’ he said.
‘You have to find a way to make people excited about it, make them enthusiastic. Once they want it, they can get there. And I believe the brains of Thais are not worse than other people’s brains.’
Aloke Lohia, founder and group chief executive of Indorama Ventures (IVL), said behaviour is the most difficult thing to change.
‘IVL employs 25,000 people, but the issue is with people who need to change. Let’s say 24,000 listen to what we ask them to do, but for the 1,000 who guide them, that behavioural change is the toughest. I’m lucky. I’ve got three young kids, so they are going to bring the change,’ said Mr Lohia.
For a company such as IVL that spreads its operations across many countries, it needs the commercial side of total supply chain management and a lot of AI, he noted.
‘Thailand has a fantastic geographic location, all land between Vietnam and Myanmar. You could connect it by road and manufacture for these nations, but I don’t think that’s necessary. We can build a whole supply chain in the CLMV countries,’ said Mr Lohia.
Dan Jeavons, president of British AI company Applied Computing, said an essential criterion for companies to deploy AI effectively is having the passion to change.
‘If you don’t have the passion to change, you’re never going to get there,’ he noted.
Companies need leadership teams to help their staff understand what they are doing and talk about the change journey. This is the biggest challenge for small companies, added Mr Jeavons.
“Reinvent Thailand, Resilient Asean” is the theme for the Bangkok Business Summit. The event took place at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre on Thursday, with hundreds of local and international business leaders expected to participate.