Standardised Thai bank fees expected by July

Bank of Thailand aims to enforce fee reforms to help individuals and small businesses

PUBLISHED : 8 May 2026 at 20:41

WRITER: Somruedi Banchongduang

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The Bank of Thailand is scheduled to introduce standardised banking fees in July this year, seeking to reduce financial costs for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Central bank governor Vitai Ratanakorn said a month-long public consultation period on the standardisation of banking fees is scheduled to end on May 10, to be followed by an official announcement.

“The rollout could begin as early as July, or be implemented gradually on a case-by-case basis, which would help ease the burden on retail customers and SMEs,” Mr Vitai said on Friday.

The move to standardise and reduce 10 to 15 key retail and SME banking fees reflects lower operating costs in the digital era, the central bank has said.

Key proposals include lowering credit card cash withdrawal fees (2–2.5%) and capping account maintenance fees. Also covered will be fees for interprovincial transfers, ATM cards and bank statements.

For small businesses, front-end fees for new credit lines are expected to be capped at 2.5% for loans up to 250,000 baht.

Mr Vitai also discussed the prevailing weakness of loan growth in the banking sector, saying economic conditions and uncertainty stemming from conflicts in the Middle East are weighing on the sector.

In response, the government and the central bank have introduced targeted financial measures to support the liquidity of borrowers.

The central bank is seeking banks’ cooperation in supporting new lending and easing conditions for affected borrowers through three measures: a soft loan programme from the Government Savings Bank, as well as the SME Credit Boost and SME Secured Plus schemes.

Under the SME Credit Boost credit guarantee mechanism, credit risks for financial institutions extending new loans to businesses, particularly SMEs, are reduced, helping to strengthen their business potential.

The programme is also intended to support business liquidity during periods of elevated energy costs.

In addition, the scheme encourages SMEs to invest in energy transition initiatives to reduce long-term energy costs, said Wipawin Promboon, assistant governor for the financial institutions policy group at the central bank.

SME Secured Plus, meanwhile, gives banks greater flexibility in valuing collateral by considering it alongside borrowers’ cash flows on a temporary basis. This measure is expected to make it easier for SMEs with collateral to access credit.

The conflict in the Middle East has made global energy prices more volatile, hiking production costs for businesses.

Household purchasing power declined as a result of higher living expenses and declining incomes, directly affecting borrowers’ liquidity and debt repayment capacity.

If banks wish to provide additional forms of financial assistance but face regulatory or operational constraints, they may consult the central bank to jointly consider appropriate approaches.

Such assistance should be provided within the framework of maintaining financial system stability while ensuring appropriate support for debtors, Ms Wipawin noted.

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- KEYWORDS

- Bank of thailand

- Sme lending

- Banking fee reform

- Economic stimulus measures

- Government savings bank

- Sme credit boost

- Financial liquidity support