1 | First three Thai virtual-bank licences
The Bank of Thailand confirmed that SCBX (with China’s WeBank and Korea’s KakaoBank), Krungthai Bank + AIS + PTT OR, and CP Group’s Ascend/TrueMoney consortium won the country’s inaugural virtual-bank permits. Five bids were examined; the three winners must incorporate a public company, satisfy additional prudential conditions and launch commercial operations within one year of the 19 June ministerial approval. Officials said the new entrants are expected to intensify price competition and widen credit access for underserved retail and SME customers while preserving systemic stability.
2 | SET Index sinks on coalition collapse
Bangkok equities slid 2.2 % at the open on 20 June, pushing the SET Index to 1,152 – its lowest level since 2020 and 23 % down year-to-date. Brokers warn the benchmark could breach 1,000 if a House dissolution follows Bhumjaithai’s exit from the government after the leaked Cambodia phone call. Foreign funds have been net sellers for six straight sessions, and local institutions are also trimming positions amid fears of policy paralysis and higher U.S. tariffs.
3 | Leaked Paetongtarn-Hun Sen audio reshapes Thai politics
Reuters details how a 17-minute private call, released in full by Cambodia’s Hun Sen, showed PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologising and belittling a senior Thai general during tense border negotiations. The leak cost her Bhumjaithai’s support, leaving her coalition one seat from minority status and prompting opposition calls for dissolution. Paetongtarn publicly apologised on 19 June but analysts believe her position is “untenable,” noting Thailand’s coup-prone history and a judiciary that could repeat past interventions.
4 | Army chief tries to douse coup rumours
Late on 19 June the Royal Thai Army spokesman Maj-Gen Winthai Suvaree read a statement from the commander-in-chief pledging loyalty to the constitution and urging unity. The brass acknowledged “widespread opinions online” but insisted “the only acceptable path is democratic.” Analysts say the unusually early intervention aims to calm markets and foreign partners unnerved by talk of a 2014-style takeover.
5 | Pink-Line extension loses two-thirds of riders once fares start
The Department of Rail Transport reported that after the free trial ended on 17 June, daily boardings on the two-station Muang Thong Thani spur crashed from 7,772 to 2,168 (-68 %), while system-wide Pink-Line usage slipped 3.6 %. The plunge follows weeks of complaints over Bangkok’s rising multimodal fare burden; transport economists warn the project may need fare tweaks or targeted subsidies to meet ridership projections.
6 | EGCO buys 49 % of two U.S. renewables
EGCO Group closed a deal with Apex Clean Energy for a 49 % stake in the “Pinnacle II” portfolio – the 126 MW Downeast Wind farm in Maine (online) and the 125 MW Wheatsborough Solar project in Ohio (under construction). Management says the purchase lifts group equity-MW to 6,653 and keeps it on track for 30 % of assets in renewables by 2030 (22 % now), supplying some 58,000 U.S. households once both plants are fully commissioned.
7 | Bolt doubles down on Thai ride-hailing
Estonia-based Bolt told the Bangkok Post it will “significantly increase” Thai spending after outlaying 300 m baht between 2023-25, targeting coverage of 50 cities (35 now) and keeping driver fees 40 % below rivals. GM Nathadon Suksiritarnan said the firm’s driver base is already 13 × larger than in 2022 and that Gen-Z preferences plus Bangkok’s worsening congestion (TomTom index 137) underpin long-run growth.
8 | Kiatnakin-Phatra teams with Goldman Sachs AM
Thailand’s KKP Financial Group signed a strategic partnership with Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The two will design discretionary multi-asset “model portfolios” spanning equities, bonds and alternatives, with GSAM acting as exclusive investment adviser while sharing research and training. KKP says the tie-up answers Thai HNW demand for greater offshore exposure and complements its push into systematic DPM solutions.
9 | Thai Chamber of Commerce calls situation “serious and risky”
Chairman Poj Aramwattananont told reporters the economy faces a “triple squeeze” from U.S. tariff threats, Middle-East conflict and the China tourism slump, compounded by capital-market malaise and a 150 bn-baht budget shortfall. He urged swift resolution of political rifts sparked by the Hun Sen leak, warning that without clarity “the economy cannot progress.”
10 | Tourism operators plead: “No more coups”
In a separate business-sector salvo, the Tourism Council of Thailand and hostel/hotel associations said a 2025 coup would repeat the industry’s 2014 collapse, noting travel insurance exclusions and lingering safety concerns among Chinese visitors. Protest activity remains limited, but operators fear a delay in the 2026 budget bill and further loss of confidence if street unrest escalates.