East Asia & Pacific · GDP rank #27

Thailand

TH · THB @ 0.0306/USD

Tab 04

Economics

The macro backdrop that actually bends payment behaviour. Nominal GDP, real growth, CPI, policy rate, and FX volatility set the backdrop; interchange, MDR, FX regime, and capital-control posture set the industry-specific dynamics.

BOT held the policy rate at 1.00% in April 2026 (lowest since 2022) and warned in May minutes against broad fiscal stimulus, prioritising structural transformation. 2026 growth forecast cut to 1.5% on Middle-East-induced oil pressure.

Nominal GDP

$555B

Real GDP growth

1.5%

CPI inflation

2.9%

Policy rate

Unemployment

30-day FX volatility

1.6%

Remittance inflows

$9.6B

Remittance outflows

$1.5B

FX posture

How the currency is managed

The FX regime and capital-control posture together determine how much of cross-border flow is priced against the interbank and how much is administratively steered.

FX regime: managed float with BOT smoothing
Capital controls: partial — FX reporting for transactions > USD 1m; outbound portfolio investment permission limits

30-day currency volatility

0.0%benchmark 2.5%1.6%

Scale 0-15%. Benchmark 2.5% marks the approximate median across G10 majors.