"Rapee" resigns; first Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 69 will be held without a full team; attention focused on whether interest rates will be lowered or maintained.

The first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of 2026 will be held without a full complement of seven members, while economists are divided on whether to cut interest rates to 1% or keep them at 1.25%.

February 24, 2569 - Reporters reported that: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting no. 1/2569, scheduled for February 25, 2569, will have only 6 members present instead of the usual 7, as Mr. Rapee Sucharitkul resigned before the end of his term. And the process of selecting new board members is currently underway. However, there have been previous Monetary Policy Committee meetings where there were fewer than 7 board members.

This meeting will mark the first agenda item for Mr. Don Nakornthap as Secretary of the Monetary Policy Committee, having been promoted to Assistant Governor, Monetary Policy Department, on February 1, 2569. In the past, at that time... Mr. Sakkapop Phanyanukul, Assistant Governor, Monetary Policy Department and Secretary of the Monetary Policy Committee, has been transferred to the position of Assistant Governor, Payment System Supervision and Financial Consumer Protection Department.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is one of the key committees of the Bank of Thailand (BOT), responsible for setting the direction of monetary policy. It works closely with BOT officials to monitor domestic and international economic conditions.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will determine its monetary policy direction based on information presented by the Bank of Thailand. This information will then be reviewed and considered at the meeting to determine the direction of monetary policy.

The Monetary Policy Committee, appointed by the Bank of Thailand's Board of Directors under the Bank of Thailand Act B.E. 2485 (3), as amended by the Bank of Thailand Act (No. 4) B.E. 2551 (4), consists of three senior executives from the Bank of Thailand and four external experts. Currently, they are:

• Mr. Withai Rattanakorn Chairman
• Mr. Piti Disayathat Vice Chairman
• Miss Suwannee Jesadasak
• Mr. Paiboon Kittisrikanwan
• Mr. Santitarn Sathirathai
• Mr. Chaow Kengchon Board of Directors and
• Mr. Don Nakornthap secretary

However, economists are divided on the outcome of the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the year. Some believe a further interest rate cut, from the current 1.25% to 1%, is likely to help support the economy, while others believe the rate will remain unchanged at 1.25%.

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