Showing 1 - 10 of 30
Dying from debt
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/04/2024
» The recent gruesome murder of a 10-year-old girl by her debt-ridden father in the northern province of Uttaradit raises doubts about the attempts of the Srettha Thavisin government to solve informal debt problems and related loopholes.
Debtors rock but creditors may not roll
Oped, Published on 26/12/2023
» In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that a rising share of countries -- 56% of low-income countries and 25% of emerging markets -- are "in or at high levels of debt distress".
Rethink debt servicing
News, Editorial, Published on 01/12/2023
» Informal debt has been a chronic problem in Thai society, affecting a large number of people, particularly low-income earners.
Support virtual banks
News, Editorial, Published on 24/07/2023
» Last week, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) decided it will grant only three virtual bank licences in the initial phase of introducing advancements in financial services. While this decision has disappointed other operators, many take this as a debut for virtual banking services in the country.
Part 2: Managing household debt
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 06/04/2023
» This is the second article, Managing Household Debt, of the Changing Thailand series.
China and the sovereign-debt time bomb
Oped, Published on 24/01/2023
» International capital flows have long been a major source of economic growth. Savings in higher-income countries have financed high-yielding investments in low-income countries, generating benefits for all. After World War II, capital flows under the Marshall Plan drove the rapid reconstruction of Europe, and after those countries recovered, they extended their own foreign aid and other official financial flows to the developing world. Private financing also increased substantially; by the 1990s, it accounted for over half of total capital flows to developing countries.
How are Thais spending so much now?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 01/12/2022
» Third-quarter GDP growth for 2022 (Q3/2022) is 4.5% -- substantially higher than the expected 4%. The main driving factor is robust private consumption -- not tourism income -- which expanded 9% in real terms and 15.7% in nominal terms, compared to the same quarter last year. On the surface, this high growth phenomenon may look normal as most Asean countries have enjoyed similar benefits of low Covid infections and pent-up demand. For instance, Malaysia's private consumption also expanded 15.7% in the same third quarter.
Why Sri Lanka imploded so catastrophically
Oped, Published on 23/07/2022
» As Sri Lanka's economy unravels before our eyes, one must ask how this could happen in a country historically known for its high standard of living and stable economy. Sri Lanka's achievements go back decades, giving it a per capita GDP that is 70% higher than India's, and a life expectancy at birth of 77 years, compared to 73, 70, and 67, in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, respectively.
Rate cut not the answer
News, Editorial, Published on 28/06/2021
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recently asked the Bank of Thailand to review interest rates for credit cards and personal loans to tackle skyrocketing household debt.
A digital bridge to much better social support
News, Published on 20/06/2021
» For all its devastation, the Covid-19 crisis does have a silver lining: it has shone a spotlight on important policy lapses -- beginning with the lack of social protection for the world's two billion informal workers. But addressing this failure will require more than social programmes; it will also require governments to bridge the digital divide.