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Laos Pushes Ahead with USD 5 Billion Luang Prabang Mekong Dam, on Track for 2030

By
Thongsavanh Souvannasane
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The Luang Prabang hydropower dam is now 72% completed and on track to begin operations in 2030. (Photo: Luang Prabang Television)

The USD 5 billion Luang Prabang hydropower dam on the Mekong River remains on track to begin generating electricity in 2030, with construction now more than 72 percent complete, Lao and Thai officials said following a high-level site visit on 18 July.

The project is one of several major dams planned along the Mekong as Laos continues to expand its role as a regional electricity exporter. Most of the power generated by the Luang Prabang dam will be sold to Thailand, according to state reports.

Located about 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang town, the dam stretches between Chomphet and Pak Ou districts, around 4 kilometers downstream from where the Nam Ou River joins the Mekong. It sits between the planned Pak Beng dam upstream and the Xayabouly dam downstream.

The dam is designed as a run-of-river project and will generate electricity year-round through seven 200-megawatt turbines, giving it a total installed capacity of 1,460 megawatts.

The structure will stand about 80 meters high with a crest length of 281 meters. It has also been designed to allow 500-ton cargo vessels and passenger boats to pass through in about 40 minutes and to meet seismic safety standards.

Ownership and Shareholders

The Luang Prabang Dam is owned by Luang Prabang Power Company Limited (LPCL), which holds the Lao government concession to design, build, and operate the project.

Thailand’s CK Power is the largest shareholder with a 50 percent stake, followed by Gulf Hydropower with 20 percent. CH. Karnchang, TTW Public Company, and Laos’ PT Sole each hold 10 percent

Once completed, the Luang Prabang project will become Laos’ third hydropower dam on the Mekong mainstream, following the Xayabouly and Don Sahong dams, which began operating respectively in 2019 and early 2020.

Six more mainstream dams are currently planned along the Mekong: Pak Beng, Pak Lay, Sanakham, Pak Chom, Ban Koum and Phou Ngoy.

Earlier this month, Laos and Myanmar also signed an agreement to study the feasibility of building a hydropower dam along the section of the Mekong River they share.

The Luang Prabang project affects 22 villages with a combined population of about 7,000 people across Chomphet district of Luang Prabang province, Hongsa district in Xayabouly, and Nga district in Oudomxay. Some residents have already been relocated to new settlements.

Authorities said the developer is carrying out the resettlement in line with government policy, with the aim of improving living conditions after relocation.

Heritage Concerns

Because the dam is just outside Luang Prabang, the public has often questioned whether it could affect the city’s UNESCO World Heritage status.

International experts and heritage groups have previously warned that changes to the Mekong River and the surrounding landscape could undermine the historic character of Luang Prabang, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1995.

However, during the 18 July site visit, Lao authorities said those concerns had been addressed through environmental studies and lessons learned from the Xayabouly dam. They’d confirmed that the project includes measures to help fish migrate and was designed to reduce environmental and social impacts while protecting the World Heritage city.

Hydropower Still Drives Laos’ Energy Plans

Hydropower remains Laos’ main source of electricity, producing about 70 percent of the country’s power.

According to the latest public data, Laos operates 94 power plants, including 81 hydropower dams, with a combined installed capacity of more than 11,600 megawatts.

The country’s electricity capacity has grown steadily, from 9.4 gigawatts in 2020 to 12.3 gigawatts in 2025. That figure is expected to nearly triple to 30 gigawatts by 2035, with hydropower continuing to make up around 80 percent of total capacity.

Under the government’s latest power strategy, hydropower is expected to provide about 75 percent of Laos’ domestic electricity by 2030. Solar, wind and other renewable energy sources are expected to account for around 11 percent of the country’s power mix.

Watsons Unveils “Watsons Evergreen” with Pantone to Celebrate 185 Years of Trusted Care and Everyday Vitality

By
Advertorial Desk
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HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 July 2026 – Watsons, the flagship health and beauty brand of AS Watson, today announced the launch of Watsons Evergreen, as part of AS Watson’s 185th anniversary celebrations. To elevate its significance and create a consistent and credible expression across markets, Watsons partnered with the Pantone Color Institute™, the world’s leading authority on colour. Combining Watsons’ rich heritage with Pantone’s expertise, the collaboration helped define and articulate a global brand asset that captures the essence of Watsons and its vision for the future.

WAT INT - EVERGREEN - KEY VISUALS-03

A Colour That Brings the Brand to Life
Watsons Evergreen is a vibrant blue-green hue that symbolises everyday vitality, care and reassurance, reflecting Watsons’ purpose of helping customers LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD, FEEL GREAT every day. As a distinctive visual identity, it creates a shared language that connects Watsons markets worldwide.

From Watsons’ logo and store design to merchandising displays, digital channels and Own Brand products, Watsons Evergreen has long been a familiar presence across customer touchpoints. The Watsons Evergreen campaign will roll out across 16 markets, including Asia, Europe and the Middle-East, through a series of customer and community activations, as well as a curated range of products, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing connection with customers and communities around the world.

Celebrating a Heritage of Trusted Care
At the heart of the initiative is a simple belief: Watsons has always been there for customers and will continue to be for generations to come.

For 185 years, Watsons has supported customers in their everyday health needs, beauty routines and wellbeing moments, whether in-store or online. Watsons Evergreen reflects this enduring relationship, serving as a symbol of consistency, trust and care in an ever-evolving world.

Jared DeGuzman, Customer Director of Watsons International, said, “For 185 years, Watsons has helped customers feel healthier, happier and more confident in their daily lives. Watsons Evergreen captures that role in a simple yet powerful way. By partnering with Pantone, we’ve transformed our iconic brand colour into a global symbol of vitality, care and wellbeing that will connect customers across every Watsons market.”

Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute™, added, “Watsons Evergreen captures the essence of a brand that has stood the test of time while continuing to grow and evolve. It is a colour that speaks of vitality and longevity, and of a deep, lasting connection to the customers and communities Watsons has served for generations.”

As Watsons marks this milestone anniversary, Watsons Evergreen stands as both a reflection of its rich heritage and a symbol of its forward-looking vision – uniting past and future in one distinctive expression of the brand.

Hashtag: #ASWatson

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Watsons

Watsons is the leading O+O (Offline plus Online) health and beauty retailer in Asia, currently operating 8,000 stores and more than 1,500 pharmacies in 16 Asian, European and Middle-East markets.

Watsons is named as the No.1 Personal Care and Beauty retailer in Asia*, providing personalised advice and counselling in health, beauty and personal care on top of its market-leading product range, making customers LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD, FEEL GREAT every day. Watsons is the flagship health and beauty brand of AS Watson Group.

Launched in 2019, Watsons’ Asia One Pass rewards our customers with local-member privileges and enables them earn points when they shop with Watsons in ten markets in Asia including Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Türkiye and the Philippines.

*Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Top 50 Brands survey with 10,000 respondents across 6 Asian countries

About AS Watson Group

Established in 1841, AS Watson Group is one of the world’s longest-standing and most recognised retail companies with roots in Asia. Today, the company operates over 17,000 stores across 12 retail brands in 31 markets, employing 130,000 people globally. This makes AS Watson Group the largest international health and beauty retailer in the world.

In the fiscal year 2025, AS Watson Group reported revenue of over US$26 billion. The company’s technology-enabled O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms serve over 6 billion shoppers annually, seamlessly integrating physical and digital retail experiences.

AS Watson Group supported over 180 charitable and non-profit organisations every year, dedicating over 40,000 hours of volunteer work to serve over 370,000 people in need in our operating markets.

AS Watson Group is also a member of the world-renowned multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, which has four core businesses – ports and related services, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications in over 50 countries.

Please visit for more information.

Sihom Night Market Vendors Left in Limbo Ahead of 25 July Closure

By
Phoudasack Vongsay
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Vendors prepare to leave Sihom Night Market in Vientiane ahead of its scheduled closure
A picture of Sihom market before its closure on 22 July 2026. (Photo by the Laotian Times)

Sihom Night Market in Vientiane Capital will officially close on 25 July, but with just two days to go, many vendors say they still have no clear idea when they will be able to reopen, where they will be selling, or whether the market will ever return.

A notice issued by Haisok Night Market management on 17 July instructed vendors to clear all stalls and equipment from the market area on 24 and 25 July so the site can undergo what it described as temporary maintenance.

The notice also invited vendors to reserve spaces at a new market near That Dam between 18 and 20 July. But several vendors told The Laotian Times they have received little information beyond that.

“We have to go to the landowner’s office, choose a location and pay the rent, but there still hasn’t been any confirmation about when the new market will actually open,” one barbecue vendor said.

“There isn’t really a proper rental process. You just choose a space and pay.”

Although the official notice says the closure is temporary, many vendors are skeptical.

“The notice only says the market is closing for renovation, but many vendors think there is no going back.”

A noodle vendor said she learned about the closure through the vendors’ WhatsApp group.

“They told us the new market near That Dam should open next month, but nobody has told us the exact date,” she said.

Some Vendors Will Stay, For Now

Not every business will leave the area immediately.

Food stalls operating directly along the sidewalk have been told they can continue trading for now, while vendors inside the market must move out.

“Only the stalls beside the sidewalk can remain,” the barbecue vendor said. “Even then, we still don’t know how long we’ll be allowed to stay.”

Some vendors have decided not to relocate to the new market at all.

“I visited the new location and didn’t really like it,” one bakery vendor said. “I’ll stay here and move my stall to the sidewalk instead, although I still don’t know exactly where my new space will be.”

For years, Sihom Night Market has been one of Vientiane’s best-known evening food destinations, popular with both locals and tourists for its affordable street food.

Now, the 25 July closure approaches and vendors are packing up their stalls while waiting for answers about when the new market will open, and whether Sihom Night Market is closing temporarily or for good.

Alylytiq launches AI-powered research solutions to make big-brand insights affordable for Singapore SMEs

By
Advertorial Desk
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SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 July 2026 – Market research consultancy Alylytiq LLP today announced the launch of Automytiq, a suite of AI-powered research solutions designed to make professional-grade market insights accessible to Singapore’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

For decades, professional market research has been the preserve of large corporates — the only players who could justify studies routinely costing tens of thousands of dollars. SMEs, who arguably have the least room for error, have been left to make market decisions on instinct. AI has now broken that equation. A commissioned study that would typically cost SGD 30,000 can be delivered through Automytiq for around SGD 6,000 — an 80 per cent reduction. The savings come from using AI to automate the most labour-intensive stages of the research process, while Alylytiq’s senior researchers remain in the loop at every stage for interpretation and quality control.

Automytiq is a distinct, productised offering, separate from Alylytiq’s core consulting practice. An Automytiq engagement runs to a standardised scope — sharply defined questions, streamlined fieldwork, and a focused report — which is what makes the lower price point possible. Alylytiq’s bespoke engagements for corporate clients are a different service: fully custom-designed, senior-led from research design through to analysis and strategic recommendation, often spanning multiple markets and methodologies, and priced to reflect that depth. The firm positions Automytiq as extending professional research to businesses that could never access it, not as a repricing of its consulting work.

Automytiq covers the full research cycle through four connected solutions:

Market Intelligence. AI-assisted secondary research that maps an SME’s target market — market size, competitor landscape, and customer trends — drawing on licensed and publicly available data sources.

Guided Brief-to-Proposal. A simple structured questionnaire captures what the business owner wants to learn. Automytiq transforms those answers into a full research proposal, giving SMEs a professionally scoped study without needing in-house research expertise.

Automated Research Design. Approved proposals are converted directly into fieldwork-ready research instruments — discussion guides, screeners, and questionnaires — cutting design time from weeks to days.

Bespoke Story Reporting. Once data is collected, Automytiq translates the raw results into fully customised reports built around a narrative that tells the business what the numbers mean and what to do next — not a template dashboard.

Automytiq has already been deployed in live client work. For SME payments fintech Handshake Finance, Alylytiq used Automytiq to map the company’s target market and competitive landscape, sharpening the focus of its go-to-market efforts. For business consultancy Anton Solutions Group, the platform supported a larger client engagement by delivering insights into financial risk management opportunities across new markets.

Anton Solutions Group, which engaged Alylytiq on a client project, said it was “genuinely impressed” by the firm’s approach. Using AI, a short discovery call, and a focused questionnaire, Alylytiq delivered a comprehensive primary research report within a day, enabling a faster transition into in-depth market analysis. The consultancy added that it looks forward to referring suitable projects to Alylytiq.

“As an early-stage company, every dollar and every week counts. Alylytiq gave us a clear, evidence-based picture of our market, our competition, and the customers we should lead with — and just as importantly, told us which questions still needed real fieldwork to answer. It sharpened decisions we would otherwise have made on instinct, at a price a company our size could actually justify,” said Christopher Chan, Co-Founder of Handshake Finance.

“SMEs make the same high-stakes decisions large corporates do — which market to enter, which customers to serve, where to spend a limited marketing dollar — but they’ve been asked to make them on gut feel because proper research was priced for someone else,” said Wei Shen, Founder and Principal Strategist of Alylytiq.

The launch lands in the middle of a wider debate about whether AI is making professional research obsolete. Alylytiq’s position is that the barrier for SMEs was never just cost — it was expertise: knowing what to ask, how to structure a research question, and how to tell when an answer is wrong.

“Any business owner can ask a chatbot for a market estimate today. The problem is they have no way of telling whether that answer is grounded in real data or invented — and acting on a confident wrong answer costs far more than a study ever would,” said Wei Shen. “That’s why Automytiq isn’t a tool we hand over. Our senior researchers design the questions and validate every output before it reaches the client. The AI changes the economics; the humans protect the answer.”

Automytiq is available to Singapore SMEs now. Businesses can learn more at www.alylytiq.com.Hashtag: #Alylytiq

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Alylytiq

Alylytiq LLP is a Singapore-based market research and insights consultancy founded on the principle that every number tells a story. Led by senior researchers with two decades of experience across global agencies and financial services, Alylytiq works across brand equity, product innovation, competitor benchmarking, customer experience, and market understanding for clients ranging from multinational corporates to growing regional businesses.

STAMPEDE creates 11,000 free business pages to bring Singapore’s AI push to local F&B operators

By
Advertorial Desk
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Hawkers, cafés and restaurants can claim their pages and set up no-app loyalty and referral programmes at no upfront cost


SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 July 2026 – As Singapore commits more than S$1 billion to artificial intelligence research and talent development from 2025 to 2030, homegrown loyalty platform STAMPEDE is helping smaller F&B businesses to benefit from AI without requiring owners to learn complex tools or hire dedicated marketing teams.

STAMPEDE has created more than 11,000 free, claimable business pages for F&B establishments across Singapore. The pages give hawkers, cafés, restaurants and small chains a digital starting point where customers can find key business information, including location, ratings and outlet details.

Owners can claim or create their page for free, set up a digital loyalty programme and review the system before deciding whether to activate a paid plan.

The initiative comes as Singapore’s F&B sector faces continued pressure. Between 1 January and 23 October 2025, 2,431 retail food establishments closed. Of these, 63% had been registered for five years or less, while 82% of that group had never recorded a profit in their annual tax declarations.

Against this backdrop, STAMPEDE is focusing on an area that operators can influence directly: whether customers return, redeem rewards and recommend the business to others.

“Singapore is investing heavily in AI, and that’s a real opportunity, but a hawker or café owner shouldn’t need to become an AI expert to benefit from it,” said Wilson Komala, Founder of STAMPEDE.

“At the end of the day, F&B owners just want customers coming back and bringing their friends. The technology should work quietly in the background, turning everyday customer activity into simple actions and not another dashboard to check or skill for the owners to learn,” Wilson added.

Customers join a participating outlet’s loyalty programme by scanning a QR code through their phone browser, without downloading an application. Staff can issue stamps using an ordinary phone camera, with no additional hardware required.

The platform combines digital stamp cards, referral rewards, coupons, customer data, automated communications and weekly AI reports that explain customer activity in plain language.

Early results from three Singapore F&B brands show how this can translate into measurable customer activity. In under four months, OMMA Chicken Soup, CHA MULAN and LICKERS collectively gained more than 14,000 loyalty members, generated over 1,300 completed referrals and recorded more than 10,700 coupon redemptions across 19 outlets.

OMMA Chicken Soup recorded more than 5,500 loyalty members and over 300 completed referrals across five outlets, while CHA MULAN gained more than 7,000 members and generated over 800 referrals across nine outlets. Their coupon redemption rates reached approximately 50% and 55% respectively.

“The strongest sign for us is that customers are not only joining the programmes, but they are now returning, redeeming rewards and recommending the brands to others,” said Josiah Tan, Founder of OMMA Chicken Soup and Co-founder of CHA MULAN.

Neighbourhood ice cream brand LICKERS gained more than 1,600 loyalty members and over 200 completed referrals across five outlets. It also recorded a 33% returning-customer rate, the highest among STAMPEDE’s clients.

“LICKERS has always grown through its regulars, so the returning-customer rate is particularly meaningful,” said Felix Tan, Founder of LICKERS. “It gives us clearer proof that customers are coming back and introducing the brand to others.”

Businesses can claim or create their STAMPEDE page and complete the initial setup for free. Payment begins only when the programme is activated, with its Growth plan priced at S$50 per outlet per month.

Hashtag: #singapore #f&b #food #customerloyalty #loyalty

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About STAMPEDE

Stampede is a Singapore-built loyalty and marketing platform for local businesses, with a focus on helping F&B operators bring customers back through digital stamp cards, referrals, coupons, automated campaigns and weekly AI reports. Built for busy owners and frontline staff, the platform works through a browser with no customer app download or special cashier hardware required. Businesses can set up for free and pay only when they go live. Learn more at

Nearly Half of Senior Leaders Feel Only Partly Prepared to Lead AI Transformation, as Ambition Outpaces Readiness

By
Advertorial Desk
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  • Almost half of senior leaders (46%) say they are prepared only to a small extent to lead organisation-wide transformation driven by AI, while 2% report being not prepared at all.
  • Keeping pace with rapidly evolving AI technology is cited as the most significant challenge (40%) faced by senior leaders, followed by regulatory and compliance uncertainty (37%) and insufficient budget or resources for AI adoption (36%).
  • Only about a third of senior leaders (34%) have attended formal training or upskilling related to leadership in the AI era within the past two years. Over half (53%) are planning to do so in the coming months and years, with 13% reporting no plans to undertake such training.
  • The most common shift in leadership approach is an increased focus on people management during AI-driven change, cited by 37% of leaders, particularly in supporting morale and employee well-being. This is followed by greater time spent on upskilling themselves and their teams (31%), and on strategic decision-making (30%). 

SINGAPORE, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how organisations operate and compete. However, the leaders responsible for steering this transformation report a gap between what is expected of them and their preparedness to deliver. Almost half of senior leaders (46%) say they are prepared only to a small extent to lead organisation-wide transformation driven by AI, while a further 2% report being not prepared at all. In comparison, 37% are prepared to a moderate extent, and only 15% consider themselves prepared to a large extent.

Senior leaders identify several factors contributing to this readiness gap. Keeping pace with rapidly evolving AI technology is cited as the top challenge (40%), followed by regulatory and compliance uncertainty (37%). Resource constraints are also a key pressure point, with 36% pointing to insufficient budget or resources for AI adoption. In addition, 34% highlight challenges related to data quality and governance, while another 34% cite the need to upskill or reskill employees to work effectively alongside AI.


These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub’s Special Report on Leadership in an AI-Driven World. The report surveyed 131 senior leaders from organisations of different sizes and across industries, including Infocomm Technology, Finance, Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare and others. All respondents reported some level of experience with AI and are involved, to varying degrees, in AI adoption decisions within their organisation.

This readiness gap extends into decision-making. Senior leaders generally express moderate levels of confidence in making high-stakes AI-related decisions. Over two in five (43%) report being quite confident, while 13% say they are very confident. However, 40% indicate they are not very confident and 4% not confident at all.

Despite that, only about a third of senior leaders (34%) have attended formal training or upskilling on leading in an AI-driven workplace within the past two years. Among those who have not yet done so, many indicate plans to pursue training, including 22% within the next six months, 20% within the next year, and 11% within the next two years. Only 13% report having no plans to undertake such training. Among the training areas leaders prioritise, AI literacy and strategic understanding (57%) emerge as the key priority, followed by data-driven decision-making (46%), and ethical AI governance and responsible deployment (40%).

Alongside this, the most common shift in leadership approach is an increased focus on people management during AI-driven change, cited by 37% of leaders, particularly in supporting morale and employee well-being. This is followed by greater time spent on upskilling themselves and their teams (31%) and on strategic decision-making (30%). Ethical and governance considerations also feature strongly at 27%, alongside a similar share who report dedicating more effort to change management (27%), including communicating how AI may affect roles and ways of working.

These shifts reflect a broader recognition among leaders that navigating AI transformation requires more than technical fluency alone. Two in five (40%) senior leaders regard human-centric skills as very important in leading an organisation in the AI era, while nearly half (48%) consider them to be quite important. Among the capabilities leaders consider most critical, creative thinking and critical thinking each emerge at 47%, closely followed by sense-making (46%), problem-solving (44%) and effective communication (43%).

Commenting on the report’s findings, Mr Sean Lim, Chief Human Resource Officer, NTUC LearningHub, says, “The gap between expectation and readiness reflects a fundamental shift in what is required of leadership in today’s AI era. Leaders were once expected to hold all the answers and direct from the top. However, they must now act as strategic navigators, making sense of complexity and providing guidance through this period of rapid change and uncertainty. This means a shift towards coaching and empowering people, while also aligning competing priorities across technology, business and operational needs. It is a demanding shift, but it is encouraging to know that many senior leaders are already planning to further their own development to lead their teams through this period of AI transformation.”

To download the Special Report on Leadership in an AI-Driven World, please visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/media/research-reports/2026/Leadership-AI-World. To find out more about the courses, training, and grants, please contact NTUC LearningHub at www.ntuclearninghub.com.

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About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatisation in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Infocomm Technology, Generative AI & Cloud, Healthcare, Retail & Food Services, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources & Coaching and Foreign Workers Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 34,000 organisations and achieved more than 3.2 million training places across more than 1,000 courses with a pool of about 1,000 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships to offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training. Besides in-person training, we also offer instructor-led virtual live classes (VLCs) and asynchronous online learning. The NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform (LXP)—a one-stop online learning platform—offers timely, bite-sized and quality content for learners to upskill anytime and anywhere. Beyond learning, LXP also serves as a platform for jobs and skills development for both workers and companies.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com.

SUNMI Expands SoftPOS Platform to Bring Secure Contactless Payments to More Smart Business Devices

By
Advertorial Desk
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SINGAPORE, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SUNMI has expanded its SoftPOS platform, bringing secure contactless payment capabilities to more smart commercial terminals. Working with leading payment partners worldwide, SUNMI is accelerating SoftPOS adoption across retail, hospitality, and other in-person commerce scenarios.

The latest update extends SUNMI’s smart terminal ecosystem with greater deployment flexibility for payment service providers and merchants. By embedding SoftPOS into commercial devices, businesses can support secure contactless payments without compromising operational efficiency.

A key highlight is the integration of CPad with SUNMI desktop POS terminals. The solution combines the desktop terminal’s business management capabilities with CPad’s dedicated payment functionality, allowing merchants to manage ordering and operations on the main terminal while accepting secure contactless payments on a separate payment device. The result is a streamlined checkout experience with a clear separation between business operations and payment acceptance.

The platform also strengthens terminal compatibility, payment security, device management, and global deployment capabilities. Together with ecosystem partners including Soft Space, viva.com, Softpay, OPP, and Rubean, SUNMI is enabling SoftPOS deployments across a growing range of commercial environments.

For more than a decade, SUNMI has continued to evolve its smart commercial terminal platform—from traditional POS to Android-based smart terminals, and now to devices with integrated SoftPOS capabilities. By combining its intelligent hardware platform with the global payments ecosystem, SUNMI is giving merchants more flexible choices for deploying secure, scalable, and future-ready payment experiences.

Thailand Secures $43.6bn 1H 2026 Investment Surge as Big Tech Accelerates Southeast Asia AI Infrastructure Push

By
Advertorial Desk
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BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 July 2026 – Thailand’s foreign and domestic investment applications surged 37% year-on-year to hit $43.6 billion (approx. 1.47 trillion baht) across 1,299 projects in the first half of 2026, driven by a massive wave of capital flowing into digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI)
Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI)

The surge comes even as the global economy faces real headwinds — geopolitical tensions, energy price volatility, and the restructuring of global supply chains — with Thailand emerging as a preferred base for investment across Southeast Asia.

Leading the capital influx is the digital sector, which reached a commanding $33 billion (approx. 1.12 trillion baht) in investment applications.

“Thailand’s investment growth held steady even as the world economy faced real turbulence,” said Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). “This reflects strong investor confidence in Thailand’s potential as a base for the industries of the future.”

This digital windfall was accompanied by robust capital commitments across other high-value industries. The electrical appliances and electronics sector drew $3.56 billion (approx. 120.2 billion baht) across 179 projects, while agriculture and food processing secured $1.82 billion (approx. 61.4 billion baht) across 131 projects. Additionally, logistics and high-value services attracted $1.19 billion (approx. 40.2 billion baht) across 170 projects, and the automotive sector drew $759.2 million (approx. 25.7 billion baht) across 122 projects.

Other notable sectors included mining, metals and materials at $603.5 million (approx. 20.4 billion baht) across 128 projects, chemicals and petrochemicals at $489.1 million (approx. 16.5 billion baht) across 110 projects, and machinery, automation and robotics at $387.4 million (approx. 13.1 billion baht) across 82 projects, signaling broad-based industrial modernization.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) applications drove the bulk of the growth, skyrocketing 80% year-on-year to $40.5 billion (approx. 1.37 trillion baht) across 877 projects.

Singapore emerged as the top source of FDI, filing applications worth $33.2 billion (approx. 1.12 trillion baht) across 158 projects. The United Kingdom followed as the second-largest investor at $1.40 billion (approx. 47.2 billion baht) across 11 projects, with China close behind at $1.35 billion (approx. 45.8 billion baht) across 321 projects, Taiwan at $1.12 billion (approx. 38.0 billion baht) across 47 projects, and Japan at $970.1 million (approx. 32.8 billion baht) across 123 projects.

These investments remain heavily concentrated in digital technology — including data centers, data hosting, and cloud services — followed by electronics and electrical appliances such as optical transceivers, printed circuit boards, hard disk drives, and data-center networking and cooling systems, along with humanoid robotics parts, automotive parts, food and beverage, and advanced materials. Geographically, Thailand’s industrialized Central region claimed the largest share of capital at $26.7 billion (approx. 903.8 billion baht) across 513 projects, followed by the Eastern region at $14.7 billion (approx. 495.7 billion baht). The Northeastern, Southern, Western, and Northern regions each drew smaller totals, but the North stood out with investment value up 93 percent year-on-year, led by energy and utilities, agriculture and food processing, and medical projects.

To support the massive power requirements of next-generation data centers, Thailand is seeing a parallel surge in renewable energy infrastructure. The energy and utilities sector recorded 221 projects worth $1.17 billion (approx. 39.5 billion baht) during the first half of the year, dominated by 198 clean energy initiatives—including solar, wind, biomass, and biogas power plants—valued at $779.7 million (approx. 26.4 billion baht).

Concurrently, manufacturers are investing in automation to remain competitive on the global stage. Under the BOI’s “Smart and Sustainable Industry” initiative, companies submitted 132 applications valued at $507.6 million (approx. 17.2 billion baht) to upgrade machinery, adopt digital technology, and integrate automation and robotics into production and services, raising productivity and moving Thai industry toward higher-value, sustainable manufacturing.

The projects approved by the BOI in the first half of 2026 will generate over 82,000 jobs for Thai workers and consume approximately $11.4 billion (approx. 386 billion baht) in domestic raw materials annually, accounting for 42 percent of the projects’ total raw material use, and is expected to boost the nation’s export capacity by more than $36.8 billion (approx. 1.24 trillion baht) per year.

The BOI approved investment promotion applications for 1,300 projects valued at $38.7 billion (approx. 1.31 trillion baht) in the first half of 2026.

“Investment value is not the only goal,” Mr. Narit said. “Real success means quality jobs, higher skills, and better income for Thai workers.” “It means real opportunities for Thai businesses inside the supply chain, and growth that reaches every region, not just a few. That is why we will keep pushing for actual investment to happen as quickly as possible through the Thailand FastPass mechanism, driving economic growth and letting Thai people share directly in the shift to the industries of the future.”

Note: Currency conversions are based on the Bank of Thailand’s average selling rate of approximately 1 USD = 33.80 THB.

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Thailand Board of Investment (BOI)

Established in 1966, the Office of the Board of Investment (BOI) has continuously played an essential role for over 60 years in promoting value-adding investment for the country, from both foreign and Thai investors, to enhance national competitiveness and drive towards a new era of sustainable and balanced growth.

Investment Services Center — PR Section, The Office of the Board of Investment (BOI)

555 Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 Tel. +66 (0) 2553 8111, Fax: +66 (0) 2553 8222

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