Thailand Hosts IMF-World Bank 2026 Meetings; Deputy PM Leads Talks
Thailand will host the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings 2026 from October 12–18 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekkanit Nitithanprapas will lead four economic forums and hold about 30 bilateral talks with global leaders to address world economic risks and boost Thailand’s investment cooperation. Key sessions include ‘Building Resilience in a Fragmented World’ and a review of Thailand’s economic development over the past 35 years.
Ekkanit Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, will attend the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings 2026, which Thailand will host from October 12 to 18 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. His agenda includes four major economic discussion forums and about 30 bilateral meetings with global economic leaders and representatives of international financial institutions scheduled for October 13–17. The talks aim to exchange strategies for coping with global economic risks and to expand Thailand’s economic and investment cooperation.
One highlighted forum, ‘Building Resilience in a Fragmented World,’ will take place on October 13 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Finance. Ekkanit will join Finland’s finance minister, an IMF managing director, and the World Bank president to discuss ways to strengthen economic resilience amid geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainty, and risks to global economic stability. The discussion will explore how countries can adjust economic policies to face rising risks without sacrificing long‑term growth, and will give Thailand a chance to present its resilience‑building approach directly to international financial leaders.
Later the same day, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, the ‘Bangkok 1991–2026’ forum will bring together Thailand’s leading economists to review the country’s economic development over the past 35 years since Thailand first hosted the IMF–World Bank meeting in 1991. Participants will analyze how the Thai economy has evolved, identify constraints that have slowed growth, and consider what structural reforms and new drivers are needed to support future competitiveness and industrial change.
On October 15 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm, Ekkanit is slated to join the Flagship Global Debate, a forum where world economic leaders exchange views on the international economic outlook, covering topics such as public debt, energy price volatility, and the impact of artificial intelligence on production, investment, and competition.
In addition to these forums, Ekkanit will hold roughly 30 bilateral meetings throughout the conference with economic leaders and international financial institution representatives to discuss policy cooperation, investment, and national development, and to present Thailand’s economic direction to partners. These bilateral talks are considered a vital part of the meeting, offering Thailand direct dialogue with partners on economic policy, investment, and ways to boost competitiveness; outcomes and progress will be monitored after the conference.
Finally, the Ministry of Finance plans to conclude the event with a Bangkok Dialogue Notes session on October 17 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, where key points from the week’s discussions will be summarized and ideas Thailand needs to pursue will be presented.
