July 31, 2024
BANGKOK – The Cabinet’s decision to postpone its detailed review of the 10,000-baht digital wallet scheme will not affect the handout timeline, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.
Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul said the Cabinet held off on this issue today because most relevant agencies have not yet submitted their opinions on the scheme.
“Only three agencies submitted their report on the scheme at the meeting,” he said, adding that he expects the other agencies to speed up their reviews and submit their comments to the Cabinet soon.
Paopoom also said that this delay will not affect the scheme’s timeline, saying people can register via the Thang Raj application from August 1 to September 15 as per usual.
Those eligible will be able to access their digital wallet by the fourth quarter of this year, he said.
The minister added that the application’s payment system to support beneficiaries’ spending is currently being developed by the Digital Government Agency, and this update will be ready as scheduled.
The system will first be reviewed by the Bank of Thailand as it is related to commercial banks’ payment system, he added.
“This delay in the payment system’s development has nothing to do with the delay in specifying when beneficiaries will be able to actually spend the money,” he said, adding that system developers need time to develop the app.
Paopoom added that stores that have applied to join the system can seek reimbursements from commercial banks.