BANGKOK, Thailand – Bank of Thailand Governor Vitai Ratanakorn has outlined a new direction for the central bank that goes beyond maintaining financial stability, with a focus on directing capital toward businesses with potential, creating new opportunities and reducing the flow of money into the informal economy and corruption.
Speaking at a special lecture titled “Capital with Purpose: Capital for Valuable Outcomes,” Vitai said the central bank has a broader role in helping support the Thai economy as it faces changing challenges in the global economic environment. The new approach centres on ensuring that capital is allocated in ways that create meaningful economic outcomes and support a higher-quality economy.
The Bank of Thailand’s “Capital with Purpose” mission focuses on three key areas: directing funding toward businesses with potential, using capital to create new opportunities from economic challenges, and reducing the flow of funds into the informal economy and corruption.
Vitai said global environmental trade measures are creating another challenge for Thailand, particularly for exporters whose major trading partners are introducing increasingly strict environmental requirements and trade barriers. These changes require financial mechanisms that can help businesses secure funding for the transition and adapt to new international requirements.
Vitai said the Bank of Thailand has an important role in laying the foundations for a sustainable financial ecosystem, particularly by helping small and medium-sized enterprises become more resilient and better prepared to adapt. The goal is to enable SMEs to respond to changing global conditions while identifying new business opportunities and remaining competitive.
He said the transition toward ESG principles should not focus solely on environmental issues. Social considerations and good governance must also be incorporated into the process. Sustainability, he said, should be integrated with business growth so that companies can create genuine shared value rather than treating sustainability as a separate obligation.
The new direction reflects the changing role expected of financial institutions as Thailand faces global trade pressures, environmental requirements and shifts in the international economy.
By directing capital toward productive businesses and supporting companies through economic transitions, the central bank aims to help create a financial system capable of supporting stronger and more sustainable growth.
