Nation Thailand
Commerce Ministry steps up nominee crackdown to protect Thai businesses
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The Commerce Ministry has joined forces with 23 agencies to cut off nominee business networks through technology and proactive statistical screening, reducing high-risk juristic entities by more than 65% and protecting Thai entrepreneurs.
Key facts
- After new orders and announcements were enforced in the first quarter of 2026, the number of high-risk entities fell by 51.05%.
- An in-depth analysis of statistics shows that high-risk juristic entities, defined as companies with foreign investment of 0.01% to 49.99%, have grown sharply
- The problem of nominees, in which foreign investors use Thai nationals as disguised representatives to hold business interests on their behalf, has long been a persistent challenge causing damage to Thailand’s economy.
- Further measures requiring mandatory confirmation of investment later helped reduce the number of high-risk businesses by 65.22% compared with the same period last year.
- Their number rose from only 523 in 1998 to 11,746 in 2025, with a cumulative total of more than 119,297 entities as of June 2026.
Summary
The problem of nominees, in which foreign investors use Thai nationals as disguised representatives to hold business interests on their behalf, has long been a persistent challenge causing damage to Thailand’s economy.
Such practices not only distort market mechanisms and disadvantage honest business operators, but also undermine fair competition nationwide. A systematic solution is therefore urgently needed.