Supachai Refutes Sondhi, Defends 8 Service Sectors Rule
Supachai clarifies the revision of 8 specialized service regulations to cut redundancy and tighten nominee crackdowns from Aug 1, 2026.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Supachai refutes claims of opening doors to foreign investors without oversight
- Streamlining 8 business sectors to remove overlapping bureaucratic steps
- Strict nominee verification enforced by DBD starting August 1, 2026
Supachai has addressed recent public criticism regarding regulatory reforms, affirming that the updated guidelines are not intended to ease foreign business controls overall. Instead, the policy focuses on streamlining approval procedures across eight specialized service sectors that are already regulated by specific laws and dedicated authorities, aiming to eliminate redundant administrative processes between government agencies.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
This regulatory adjustment limits the Ministry of Commerce's approval role in businesses managed by specialized authorities, allowing expert agencies to enforce the law directly. The transition is designed to reduce business operating costs and timelines, enhance government operational efficiency, and enable authorities to allocate resources more effectively toward auditing high-risk business activities.
Foreign business regulations in Thailand remain a sensitive issue concerning economic sovereignty and local market competition. Shifting administrative authority toward specialized sector regulators reflects an effort to move away from centralized bureaucracy toward targeted, expertise-based oversight. Meanwhile, pairing this decentralization with stringent anti-nominee measures attempts to balance the strategic goal of attracting quality foreign investment with the protection of domestic entrepreneurs.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Commerce has implemented parallel measures to tighten scrutiny on businesses at risk of utilizing Thai nationals as nominee shareholders or proxy signatories. This approach prevents loopholes that allow foreign entities to compete unfairly with local enterprises. Effective August 1, 2026, the Department of Business Development mandated that foreign-invested applicants or those with foreign signatory powers must submit evidence and disclose the source of investment funds prior to registration approval.
As a result of this enhanced front-end screening, high-risk business registration applications dropped to 163 entities in August 2026, marking a significant decrease from 894 entities during the same period in the previous year. This substantial decline highlights the immediate impact of stricter vetting protocols in intercepting nominee operations at the initial application stage.
"การกล้าปรับเปลี่ยนในครั้งนี้จึงไม่ใช่เพียงการแก้ไขกฎกระทรวง แต่เป็นการเปลี่ยนวิธีคิดของภาครัฐ จากการวัดความเข้มแข็งด้วยจำนวนขั้นตอนและอำนาจการอนุญาต ไปสู่การกำกับดูแลที่โปร่งใส รวดเร็ว ตรงจุด และเพิ่มความสามารถในการแข่งขันให้ประเทศไทยในระยะยาว"
Supachai
Supachai concluded that this policy shift represents a fundamental transformation in government administration, moving away from measuring institutional strength through bureaucratic hurdles and approval power toward transparent, swift, and targeted oversight. Ultimately, these reforms aim to boost Thailand's long-term economic competitiveness while attracting quality foreign investments, technologies, and knowledge transfers.
Source: Matichon Politics
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