Thailand Targets 7,000 Business Rules in Competitiveness Push

Thailand plans to overhaul more than 7,000 business regulations as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s government seeks to reduce bureaucracy and attract more foreign and domestic investment.

The Thailand business reform programme aims to improve the country’s competitiveness as regional rivals including Vietnam and Indonesia intensify efforts to attract global capital and supply-chain relocations.

Authorities are proposing a “super licence” system designed to consolidate multiple permits into a single approval process while also asking industry groups to identify the most burdensome rules by early June.

Thailand’s Board of Investment reported an 18% rise in first-quarter investment applications, supported partly by faster approval processes and investment facilitation measures.

The proposed deregulation push comes as Southeast Asian economies compete to position themselves as manufacturing, logistics and technology hubs amid changing global supply chains and geopolitical diversification.