Business
Foreign investment applications surge by 46% in January
Foreign investment applications in Thailand experienced a robust 46% year-on-year increase in January 2026, reaching a total value of 33.8 billion baht.
This growth was driven primarily by investors from China, Japan, and Singapore, with a significant portion of projects aligned with the Thai government’s focus on future industries such as electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and clean energy.
Key Points
- A total of 113 foreign investors were granted permission to operate in Thailand in January, representing a 10% increase in the number of applications compared to the previous year.
- Japan contributed the highest investment value at 15.3 billion baht from 25 applications, while China recorded the highest number of individual applications with 26 projects valued at 5.39 billion baht.
- Other leading investors for the period included Singapore (5.51 billion baht), Hong Kong (587 million baht), and the United States (420 million baht).
- Approximately 49% of the approved projects were promoted through the Board of Investment (BoI), accounting for 17.2 billion baht of the total investment value.
- Investment activities are heavily concentrated in high-tech and “S-curve” sectors, including EV battery-swapping stations, electronic components, software development, and advanced engineering services.
The top three business categories approved through BoI channels were contract manufacturing services, high-value services, and computer-related services.
The five leading countries/regions investing in Thailand during the period were:
- China (26 applications, 5.39 billion baht)
- Japan (25 applications, 15.3 billion baht)
- The United States (16 applications, 420 million baht)
- Singapore (12 applications, 5.51 billion baht)
- Hong Kong (10 applications, 587 million baht).
Specific Chinese investments focused on wood processing, EV infrastructure, and electronics, while Japanese investments centered on manufacturing procurement, software, and electric motor production. Nearly half of these projects were facilitated through the Board of Investment (BoI). These outlays align with Thailand’s national policy to attract growth in future-oriented sectors such as advanced technology, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles (EVs), clean energy, and digital services.