Thailand Launches Phase 2 of 60/40 Relief Program for 26 Million
Thailand has launched Phase 2 of its 60/40 relief program, which has benefited 26 million people over three months by providing daily 200-baht cash assistance to support household expenses amid rising oil and commodity costs. The government
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas discussed the Thailand Helps Thailand Plus 60/40 Phase 2 program on the "Chat with Cabinet: Anutin" program, explaining that it was created to address economic fallout from Middle East conflicts, which have driven up oil prices and commodity costs and weakened consumer purchasing power. While incomes have not kept pace with expenses, the government intervened to reduce living costs and support small merchants and retailers suffering from dampened demand.
The program sets a daily spending limit of 200 baht, targeting essential household expenses rather than frivolous consumption. Given public sector resource constraints, it prioritizes small-scale traders—market vendors, street stall operators, and independent retailers. Over three months, approximately 26 million people have benefited, with roughly 1.2 million small shops participating and over 160,000 million baht circulating in the economy. Only 16 percent of spending occurred in Bangkok, showing that money has spread across provincial businesses nationwide.
However, the "Plus" component means more than just cash injection. The government seeks to upgrade small retailers' capabilities by providing access to food delivery platforms and online sales training. Some participating shops have seen clear increases in online sales, and many shops from previous phases have maintained sales levels even after the program ended.
The Thoong-ngoen (Money Bag) mobile app has introduced an "AI Whispering Bird" analytics tool to help businesses analyze sales data, identify peak sales days, calculate raw material costs, and plan inventory. This enables vendors to manage costs and stock levels more accurately—for example, bakeries can see which days have high or low sales and adjust production accordingly.
Trade data from the system also opens doors to credit, as financial institutions can see shop revenue while the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Corporation provides guarantees, reducing barriers for entrepreneurs without collateral and lowering reliance on informal loans.
Deputy PM Ekniti stressed that cash injections cannot be sustained indefinitely and fiscal discipline must be maintained. He noted that Thailand's slow energy transition amid ongoing foreign conflicts shows the country must reduce dependence on imported energy, particularly by promoting solar power so households can generate their own electricity and cut power bills. As citizens face lower energy costs, the need for government living-cost assistance will decline, and foreign currency outflow will decrease.
Energy transition also includes biodiesel from palm oil and ethanol from sugarcane and cassava—all produced domestically. Beyond reducing imported oil reliance, this returns income to farmers and circulates it through Thailand's economy. General fuel price subsidies offer only short-term relief, while long-term strategy should incentivize domestic alternative energy to strengthen the economy, reduce foreign dependence, and distribute benefits to farmers.
Thailand is hosting a global forum to receive the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to promote goods and investment.
