Bangkok: The government is advancing efforts to eradicate informal debt while expanding pico finance nationwide, with over 82,000 individuals benefiting from a budget exceeding 2.5 billion baht, thus increasing access to legal capital sources.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Sasikarn Wattanachan, Deputy Government Spokesperson, detailed the government's progress in financial assistance aimed at resolving informal debt issues. The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with specialized financial institutions like the Government Savings Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, has implemented various loan measures. These include the People's Bank Loan Project, Loan to Repay Informal Debt, Revolving Fund Loan to Help Poor Farmers, and others designed to support registered informal debtors.
From the implementation period beginning December 1, 2023, to July 3, 2025, financial assistance was approved for 82,815 individuals with informal debt, totaling 2,514.99 million baht. This marks an increase from June 19, 2025, with an additional 1,418 cases and a 35.19 million baht rise in approvals.
Moreover, the government is promoting the operation of supervised provincial-level retail lending businesses through pico finance loans. As of June 2025, 1,155 licensed juristic entities were offering pico finance loans across 75 provinces. By April 2025, a total of 5,146,279 pico finance loans had been approved, amounting to 50,866.99 million baht, with 381,407 accounts having outstanding loans totaling 7,434.14 million baht.
Ms. Sasikarn emphasized the government's commitment to persistently addressing the informal debt problem, aiming to provide financial security for all Thais, particularly low-income earners and self-employed individuals. The initiative focuses on promoting transparent and fair funding sources, enabling Thai people to escape the informal debt cycle and secure a stable future.