Thailand is no longer competing merely to become an electric vehicle assembly base. In 2026, the country’s industrial policy has entered a far more strategic phase — one focused on controlling the upstream EV supply chain.
Accounting & Legal in Thailand
Thailand’s investment promotion regime is entering a new phase. For decades, the country’s industrial policy under the Thailand Board of Investment relied heavily on corporate income tax exemptions, import duty privileges, and non-tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment. However, the launch of the THB 5 billion Competitiveness Enhancement Fund marks a structural policy shift: Thailand is now moving beyond passive investment attraction toward direct state-supported capability building.
Thailand is entering a new phase of investment promotion policy. Under the latest direction introduced by the Thailand Board of Investment (“BOI”), foreign manufacturers seeking enhanced tax incentives will no longer be evaluated solely on production capacity or export potential. Instead, the government is increasingly focusing on whether multinational groups are prepared to relocate strategic business functions into Thailand alongside their manufacturing operations.
Thailand’s Board of Investment (“BOI”) has introduced a significant change to its post-approval compliance framework under Board Announcement No. 8/2569. The previous bi-annual project progress reporting system has now been replaced with mandatory quarterly submissions through the BOI e-Monitoring platform.
Thailand’s foreign investment landscape is entering one of its most significant regulatory shifts in recent years. Effective from 1 April 2026, the Department of Business Development (“DBD”) officially implemented DBD Order No. 1/2569, introducing stricter scrutiny over company ownership structures involving foreign participation.
Thailand’s immigration and employment landscape has entered a new digital era in 2026. Following years of gradual reforms, the Department of Employment (DOE) has now fully transitioned to a mandatory electronic work permit system, fundamentally changing how foreign nationals and employers manage work authorization in Thailand.
