Thailand investment promotion applications climb 28% in nine months

Thailand received applications covering 1,954 projects with proposed investment of ฿1.71 trillion during January–September 2026, the Board of Investment (BOI) said on 26 October. The agency reported a year-on-year rise of 28 per cent in investment promotion applications, with digital and electronics industries leading the increase.

Digital investment proposals totalled more than ฿1.17 trillion across 139 projects, almost twice the year-earlier amount. Electronics and electrical appliances came next, accounting for ฿189.37 billion across 262 projects, an increase of seven per cent. The BOI linked the growth to global expansion in digital businesses and electronics manufacturing driven by AI and products reliant on semiconductors and electronic components.

Proposed foreign direct investment rose 62 per cent, reaching ฿1.55 trillion across 1,309 projects. The agency said large projects resulting from changes to global supply chains drove that growth. Digital infrastructure, semiconductors, electronics and electrical appliances attracted much of the foreign investment.

Approvals during the period covered 1,951 projects valued at ฿1.51 trillion. The BOI expects them to employ more than 116,000 Thai workers, use local raw materials and parts worth over ฿693 billion annually, and generate more than ฿1.96 trillion in annual exports.

BOI Secretary General Narit Therdsteerasukdi said the shift towards digital and advanced technology industries offered Thailand an opportunity to increase its role in the AI supply chain. He said the agency would pursue new investment alongside industrial upgrades, technology and workforce development, and efforts to bring Thai businesses into advanced technology supply chains.