Thailand promotes Trusted Hub role as host of 2026 IMF-World Bank meetings
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Thailand has declared its readiness to upgrade its economic structure as host of the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in 2026, to be held from October 12 to 18, 2026, with more than 15,000 economic leaders from 191 countries around the world taking part. It marks a major opportunity after 35 years. Dr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said at The Bangkok Business Summit 2026, organized by the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking together with the World Bank on September 3, that the public and private sectors are moving forward under the concept of Entering New Horizons to become a high-income country by 2037, with the private sector leading income generation through seven future industries: smart agriculture, food processing, smart electronics and digital, modern automotive, medical and health services, high-value tourism, and modern wholesale and retail. Vitai Ratanakorn, Governor of the Bank of Thailand, said the central bank will push two main issues: the development of public digital infrastructure, including the PromptPay system, which supports more than 83 million registered accounts, and the Paotang application, which has more than 40 million users, and safe and inclusive digital finance. It will also work with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to produce the Bangkok Blueprint for Fraud-Resilient Financial Services, to pass on as a key outcome for the global community after hosting the meetings.