Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced on Monday that registration for the 10,000-baht digital wallet handout scheme will begin on August 1st. Emphasizing the smooth implementation of the program, Thavisin invited eligible businesses and individuals to register for the program, designed to boost the lagging economy.
The national digital wallet policy committee met on Monday to discuss and prepare for registration. Thavisin indicated that the panel would seek the help of government agencies to launch the project. In a post, the Prime Minister elaborated on the vision of the digital wallet project, stating:
“The digital wallet is a big government project to add money to the pockets of people, small businesses and the economy. For the sake of legal and technical prudence, and security of users, implementing the project takes time. But this wait is definitely not in vain.”
In April, Thavisin introduced the government’s controversial digital wallet plan that aims to distribute 10,000 baht (about $275) to 50 million citizens in digital currency to spend at local businesses. He also announced that the 500-billion baht ($13.7 billion) plan will be implemented in the last quarter of the year.
The Digital Government Development Agency (DGA) Deputy Director Irada Luangwilai confirmed that applicants could register using the government’s Thang Raj app. The application is reportedly now available on the App Store and Google Play following the agency’s development efforts for more than three years.
The requirements for receiving the 10,000 baht digital handout include a minimum age of 16, a bank balance of no more than 500,000 baht, and an annual income of less than 840,000 baht in 2023 as per tax filing.