Ekniti to speak at four major IMF–World Bank panels on October 13–17
Ekniti Nitithanprapas is also due to join four panels with global financial leaders on Thailand’s growth, economic resilience and global risks.
- On October 13, Ekniti will speak at two panels: one on building economic resilience in a fragmented world and another focusing on Thailand's economic development and growth prospects.
- He is scheduled to join the "IMF Flagship Global Debate" on October 15 to discuss the future of the global economy, including public debt, energy volatility, and technological disruption.
- Ekniti will conclude his speaking engagements on October 17 at the "Bangkok Dialogue Notes" session, where he will present a summary of Thailand's key policy messages to the international community.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas plans to hold 30 bilateral meetings during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank gathering in Bangkok in October 2026, according to a Government House source. The talks with economic leaders and representatives of international financial institutions aim to expand investment opportunities and strengthen Thailand’s economic ties.
Ekniti’s bilateral agenda is intended to deepen economic cooperation, share policy approaches to managing crises and explore further opportunities for investment and economic development.
Thailand aims to use the international engagements to build economic networks and strengthen its long-term integration with the global economy. The Government House source described a wider ambition to reinforce Thailand’s position as a “trusted connector” for the international community.
Ekniti’s programme also includes four major panel discussions alongside the heads of global financial institutions, finance ministers and leading economists, covering economic resilience, Thailand’s growth prospects and global policy challenges.
Thailand’s October 13 panels focus on resilience and growth
Ekniti’s first panel, the Thai Finance Ministry’s flagship event “Building Resilience in a Fragmented World”, is scheduled for October 13 from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. The discussion is intended to help countries shape policies to strengthen economic resilience amid conflict, uncertainty and global risks.
The Thai Finance Ministry’s resilience panel is set to feature IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and Finland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Riikka Purra.
Thailand’s economic development from its first hosting of the IMF–World Bank meetings in 1991 to 2026 is the focus of the IMF Asia and Pacific Department’s “Thailand Special Seminar Bangkok 1991–2026”, scheduled for October 13 from 3pm to 4pm.
Economists at the Thailand special seminar are expected to explore ways to accelerate the country’s economic growth and prepare for emerging industries. Ekniti is scheduled to take part alongside IMF Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura, Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, and Bank of Thailand Governor Vitai Ratanakorn.
Narongchai Akrasanee, chairman of the Institute for Strategic Policy Foundation, and Suthiphand Chirathivat, professor emeritus at Chulalongkorn University, are also scheduled to take part in the Thailand special seminar.
IMF debate to examine public debt and energy volatility
Ekniti is scheduled to join the “IMF Flagship Global Debate” on October 15 from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. The discussion on the future of the global economy is expected to address public debt, energy volatility and technological disruption from artificial intelligence.
The IMF global debate is also set to feature Georgieva, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Greece’s minister of national economy and finance and president of the Eurogroup, and Aliko Dangote, president and chief executive of Dangote Group.
The Government House source also named Danny Quah, a professor of economics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, as a participant in the October 15 global debate.
Bangkok Dialogue to advance Thailand’s policy priorities
Ekniti is scheduled to present a summary of Thailand’s key messages to the international community at the “Bangkok Dialogue Notes” session on October 17 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
The Bangkok Dialogue session is intended to encourage other countries to take forward Thailand’s policy priorities beyond the gathering, under the theme “The meetings end, but the ideas must continue”.
