Shopee Launches 500M Baht Thai SME Support Program

Chris Feng, chairman of Sea Group, Shopee's parent company, stated that amid the full transition to a digital economy, Shopee—the largest regional e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan and a leading platform in Brazil—is advancing its Digital Inclusion mission to provide equal access and benefit from digital technology for all. The platform functions as a "digital bridge" connecting local entrepreneurs to online opportunities domestically and regionally over the past decade.

Feng recently met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss ways to support and develop the country's digital economy through Shopee's platform ecosystem. He reported on key initiatives, including the 'Thai Helping Thai with Shopee: Thai MSME Growth Support Program,' which represents a significant milestone in supporting Thai MSME growth and expanding digital access opportunity comprehensively to better serve both sellers and buyers.

The program offers over 500 million baht in total support throughout the project to enhance competitiveness of Thai small and medium retailers and create an ecosystem conducive to sustainable growth. This reflects the collaboration between government and private sector in building strong foundations for grassroots economy and responds to the government's "Thai Helping Thai" policy, which aims to leverage e-commerce's potential to create opportunities and income for entrepreneurs nationwide.

During the discussion, the government emphasized its vision to strengthen Thai MSME capabilities, which form the foundation of Thailand's economic system, and highlighted the role of digital platforms in opening trade opportunities and expanding consumer access while driving growth for Thai entrepreneurs across the country.

Shopee has substantively supported this policy through the Thai MSME Growth Support Program, which promotes growth for Thai merchants through benefits that increase consumer reach, boost sales, and support sustainable growth. The platform has also conducted digital skills training for tens of thousands of Thai sellers and leveraged its regional network to connect Thai entrepreneurs to foreign markets, promoting collaboration in bringing local and community products to the international stage through cross-border e-commerce channels.

Currently, many Thai entrepreneurs are successfully expanding export markets through Shopee's cross-border sales promotion programs, including the Shopee International Platform (SIP) and Shopee Global Sales, demonstrating the potential and quality of Thai products recognized by foreign consumers in markets such as Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

The government also proposed that Shopee leverage Thailand's strategic strength as ASEAN's connectivity hub to drive the country's digital economic ecosystem and support Thailand's advancement toward becoming the region's digital economy center in the future.