Team Thailand heads to Davos to boost confidence

Thailand has taken its economic pitch to Davos, with a high-level public-private delegation joining the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 to bolster investor confidence, promote the country’s economic policy direction and court global investment—particularly in the digital economy.

The WEF Annual Meeting 2026 is being held in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan 19–23, with around 3,000 participants from 130 countries. A record number of at least 64 heads of state or government are attending, alongside delegations from both the public and private sectors, including Thailand.

Team Thailand led by Ekniti

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas is leading Team Thailand in meetings with international organisations and global companies to communicate Thailand’s macroeconomic policy direction, structural reform agenda and investment support measures for targeted industries.

On Jan 19, Ekniti began his mission by leading Team Thailand and Thai private-sector executives in talks with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, to exchange views on the global economic outlook and cooperation to develop Thailand’s economy, advance a low-carbon society and create quality jobs. The meeting also covered Thailand’s preparations to host the IMF–World Bank Group Annual Meetings 2026, scheduled for Oct 12–18, 2026.

He also met Mirek Dušek, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, and John Dutton, head of WEF’s Uplink initiative, to discuss connecting innovation networks—especially start-ups—supporting young entrepreneurs’ access to global investment, and cooperation on sustainability and ESG.

Big Tech talks to accelerate investment

Ekniti also held discussions with executives from major global technology firms to speed up investment and expand cooperation on Thailand’s digital economy and artificial intelligence, including initiatives to upgrade digital skills among Thai businesses and workers.

The meetings included:

Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has announced a long-term investment plan in Thailand worth 150 billion baht over 15 years and received investment promotion for a data-centre project (phase one) worth 24.8 billion baht. Thai officials also discussed AWS participation in the government’s Cloud First programme and urged stronger cooperation with Thai universities to develop more specialised data-centre engineering talent.

Microsoft, which has announced plans to invest in data centres and cloud services in Thailand since 2024, alongside partnerships with Thai companies and cooperation with state agencies—including digital and AI skills development for personnel and students, and supporting cloud adoption in government to improve efficiency.

TikTok, which the delegation said has a long-term investment plan in Thailand worth 270 billion baht, with 30 billion baht already invested in phase one. Discussions also covered building on cooperation with state agencies on online safety education, strengthening Thai SMEs’ ability to sell online, and developing Thailand as a regional content hub.

HCL Technologies, an Indian IT and software services firm focused on digital transformation, with talks covering technology trends, digital investment direction, and deeper cooperation to strengthen Thailand’s digital ecosystem—especially using cloud and AI to improve efficiency in government, agriculture and manufacturing, and to develop workforce skills aligned with modern industry needs.

BOI: Thailand is a long-term base and Asia gateway

Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BOI), said Thailand’s participation in WEF is intended to expand networks and proactively engage with those shaping the global economic agenda, translating discussions into concrete cooperation and investable projects. This, he said, reinforces the message that Thailand is suited to be a stable long-term business base and an effective link to high-potential Asian markets.

Thai CEOs attend in force

A large number of top Thai executives are also attending the WEF Annual Meeting 2026 to track global trends and meet global corporate leaders. Those named include Soopakij Chearavanont of CP Group; Thammasak Sethaudom of SCG; Chaiwat Kovavisarach of Bangchak Group; and Jirayut Srupsrisopa, co-founder and chief executive of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings, as well as executives from PTT, Thai Beverage and Bangkok Bank, among others.

Bitkub hosts networking session

Bitkub also organised a discussion session titled “Experience sharing session by a panel of speakers” to create opportunities for Thai businesspeople to exchange views and build networks with global leaders attending the meeting. Speakers cited included Alberto Diaz, deputy head of economic promotion at the Canton of Zug, Switzerland, and Vincent Iswara, co-founder and chief executive of DANA Indonesia.

Jirayut compared Davos to “not a spa, but a gym”, arguing that participation does not automatically deliver benefits—attendees must actively network, introduce themselves, exchange business cards and maintain relationships to translate Davos opportunities into outcomes.

Trump set to speak; Greenland dispute looms

The annual meeting is taking place against heightened geopolitical tensions. US President Donald Trump is attending with a large US delegation and is scheduled to deliver a speech on Jan 21 at 9.30pm Thailand time, expected to focus on domestic priorities while also highlighting friction with European allies over Greenland. Trump has said he will hold Davos talks on Greenland after a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. He is also expected to use the Davos platform to announce a “peace committee” initiative related to Gaza, with Thailand reportedly considering an invitation to participate.