Central Bank Crackdown on Illicit Finance: Thailand’s Bank of Thailand is teaming up with 11 financial industry associations to tighten anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism steps, including tougher scrutiny of high-risk cash deals, shared databases, and wider data-and-tech monitoring. EV Policy Shift: Thailand moves to tax imported EVs more than local models, while also setting a three-tier excise tax approach tied to local investment—aimed at steering the market and production base. Data Centre Backlash: Thailand is pausing or halting data centre projects amid safety, water and power constraints, with fresh scrutiny after reports of unpermitted oil storage and public concern over environmental and community impacts. Food Inflation Watch: El Niño is flagged as a bigger inflation risk than a growth shock across ASEAN, with Thailand and other net food importers exposed to higher rice, wheat, maize and oil prices. Trade & Payments Push: Thailand and India are pushing deeper economic ties, including cross-border QR payments, while payment players expand agentic mobile protocols and interoperability frameworks. Solar Momentum: Thailand’s US$6 billion solar push and rooftop solar plans are testing ASEAN green finance ambitions as the country targets more clean power. Transport & Trade Links: Residents in Rantau Panjang are lobbying for Budget 2027 support to rebuild a rail station and restart the Rantau Panjang–Sungai Golok line to revive cross-border trade. Retail Milestone: Central Park Bangkok marks its first anniversary with 25 million visits and near-full retail occupancy, positioning itself as “Bangkok’s World Stage.”