Three major corporations indicate a global capital restructuring, with Thailand poised to become a base for production, investment, and tourism.

SCG, IVL, and AOT view global conflicts as changing the structure of trade and investment, encouraging the diversification of production bases and supply chains to Thailand and ASEAN. This opens up opportunities in industries ranging from technology, food, petrochemicals, and healthcare to tourism.

By August 26, 2569, geopolitical conflicts, trade wars, tariffs, and the risk of supply chain disruptions are shifting the direction of global trade and investment. Previously, businesses prioritized production in the lowest-cost areas; now, they are moving towards diversifying production bases and building more resilient supply chains. Amidst these changes, Thailand and ASEAN are seen as areas poised to receive a new wave of investment and production relocation.

At the event "Geopolitics to Profit: Which Thai Sectors Will Win from Global Realignment?", organized by the Stock Exchange of Thailand on August 26, 2026, executives from three large companies—Siam Cement Group (SCG), Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT)—revealed their perspectives on Thailand's opportunities arising from global economic restructuring and highlighted the challenges businesses must face in adapting to maintain competitiveness.

SCG indicates that capital inflows into Thailand continue, spreading beyond data centers.

Mr. Thammasak Sethaudom, President and CEO of SCG , stated that despite global economic and geopolitical volatility, investment continues to flow into Thailand. This inflow is not concentrated solely on data centers but is also distributed across biotechnology, decarbonization, and the green economy.

Meanwhile, the Thai government is driving new economic engines through four ad hoc subcommittees. These efforts focus on improving laws, reducing bureaucratic constraints, expanding free trade agreements (FTAs), and developing human capital and transferring technology to pave the way for Thailand to become a regional economic hub within the next 5-10 years.

Mr. Thamsak believes that the influx of investment and the shift of supply chains to ASEAN and Thailand is not merely a temporary measure to circumvent trade tensions, but a long-term structural change. Therefore, Thai businesses need an ASEAN strategy to build sufficient operational scale for international competitiveness and to cope with the influx of cheap consumer goods from China.

Another key objective is to upgrade Thailand's industrial sector from being merely an assembly line to becoming more deeply integrated into the supply chain, especially in the electric vehicle industry. This includes accelerating factory improvements through the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and industrial robots to reduce costs, minimize production losses, and decrease energy consumption.

IVL indicates the world is shifting from "low cost" to resilient supply chains.

Aloke Lohia, CEO of IVL Group, stated that the world is shifting from focusing on efficiency and low costs to building resilient supply chains that can recover from crises, following global businesses facing wars, tariffs, and transportation disruptions such as the Red Sea crisis.

This situation is forcing companies to diversify their core assets and establish more regional production bases in order to directly serve customers in each area and reduce the risk of relying on long and easily disrupted global supply chains.

Regarding Thailand, Mr. Alok views it as having a strong and unique traditional trade and production ecosystem, including the agricultural and food industries, which are crucial for food security; the integrated petrochemical and chemical cluster in the Map Ta Phut area; and the healthcare and medical tourism systems that meet international standards.

These strengths not only create opportunities for the manufacturing sector but can also help attract world-class executives and talent to establish their regional headquarters in Thailand.

Furthermore, Thailand has a stable banking system and a deep capital market, which can be leveraged to make Bangkok a capital market hub for the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam), and a source of funding to support businesses in a market with a combined population of over 250 million people.

Mr. Alok believes that the future economic model does not necessarily have to be solely about production for export worldwide. Thailand can serve as a production base to supply the CLMV markets (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam), as regional supply chains are more flexible than long-distance global supply chains and can be interconnected via road transport systems.

Meanwhile, tensions over data sovereignty and technological competition between the US and China present an opportunity for Thailand, which has good relations with many parties in the West, East, India, and Japan, to position itself as a hub connecting the technology ecosystem, including data centers and AI, as well as a command center for management and decision-making for multinational supply chains and manufacturing.

However, supporting future industries requires efficient energy infrastructure and reasonably priced services to maintain competitiveness. Mr. Alok believes that success in attracting investment should not be measured solely by the number of new investors, but also by the "re-investment rate" of existing investors, as this reflects confidence in the country's transportation system, infrastructure, policies, and human resources.

AOT turns volatility into an opportunity, attracting flights and passengers to Thailand.

Ms. Paweena Chariyathitipong, President and CEO of AOT, stated that geopolitical volatility directly impacts the aviation industry, but it can also be transformed into business opportunities if airlines can adapt and manage flight routes quickly.

For example, due to political tensions between China and Japan, which led to airlines reducing general flights, AOT (Airports of Thailand) adopted a proactive strategy, negotiating to attract flights and reroute those airlines to fly directly into Thailand. As a result, the proportion of passengers from those two countries increased by more than 30%.

The conflict in the Middle East had a short-term impact, with all flights from Middle Eastern airlines being cancelled for the first 10 days, forcing passengers to switch to more expensive direct flights. However, flights from the Middle East have now resumed at 100% capacity, and the number of passengers from the Middle East has recovered by more than 4% month-on-month compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, passenger nationality and behavior are changing, with more travelers from Southeast Asia replacing those from the Middle East. Meanwhile, tourists from the Middle East are shifting from frequent short-trip journeys to longer stays in Thailand. While this may slightly slow down overall flight volume, it contributes to increased economic activity through extended stays.

AOT, which holds approximately 95% of the domestic air passenger market share, continues its aggressive strategy by negotiating with airlines in the Middle East to open new direct flight routes connecting Bangkok to North America.

Kobsak points out that Thailand will benefit from the relocation of manufacturing bases, but SMEs will face tough challenges.

Dr. Kobsak Pootrakul, Senior Executive Vice President of Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited, stated that ASEAN and Thailand benefit from global geopolitical tensions due to their neutral policies. This has made Thailand an attractive destination for the relocation of manufacturing bases, resulting in record-high applications for foreign investment promotion (BOI).

Within just two years, Thailand has risen to become the world's fifth-largest producer of printed circuit boards (PCBs), attracting investment from the relocation of semiconductor manufacturers, the consolidation of raw material supply chains, data center investments from global cloud and technology providers, and its emergence as a major regional hub for electric vehicles.

However, the influx of foreign investment and new technologies also brings a new side: increased competition for Thai businesses, especially SMEs, which face challenges from larger competitors, new technologies, and China's cost advantages in production.

Dr. Kobsak believes that Thai businesses need to accelerate restructuring, invest in technological advancements, and expand their operations to enhance their competitiveness amidst the changing global economic structure.

The restructuring of global supply chains presents both "opportunities" and "pressures" on the Thai economy. On one hand, Thailand has the opportunity to attract investment through diversified production bases, leveraging its existing strengths in food, petrochemicals, healthcare, and tourism, along with emerging industries such as data centers, AI, semiconductors, PCBs, EVs, biotechnology, and the green economy.

On the other hand, the influx of capital, technology, and large foreign manufacturers is increasing pressure on Thai businesses. The key challenge is no longer simply attracting investment, but rather enabling Thai businesses to invest in technology, scale up, and move from assembly lines to higher-value segments in the supply chain. This will allow Thailand to benefit from the new global economic restructuring in the long term.

Related news:

• "Kobsak" sees Thailand embracing a new wave of investment, pushing BOI to IPO and fostering a new economy entering the stock market.
• The Ministry of Finance indicates that Thailand must accelerate investment to boost GDP growth beyond 3% while maintaining fiscal discipline. Moody's views Thailand's credit rating as stable.
• Thailand is accelerating the unlocking of clean energy opportunities to capitalize on the wave of investment in data centers and AI.
• Infineon-Lumentum expands its presence in Thailand, capitalizing on the new wave of tech investment.
• ASEAN capital markets are joining forces, connecting global capital and propelling the region towards becoming a growth hub.
• Thailand Focus 2026: 220 global institutional investors attend, see regaining confidence in Thai stocks, and look for new growth opportunities.
• Finance Minister hopes to push SET index to 2 points in 69, accelerating FDI to support Thailand's GDP growth exceeding 3%.
• Brokers project the SET index target at 1,680 points, closely watching government policies and political stability to attract fund flows.
• Thailand is accelerating the development of human resources to build new supply chains in response to the wave of investment in AI and semiconductors, aiming to become a regional technology hub.
• Thailand accelerates efforts to close the AI ​​gap, boosting five target industries to create a high-value digital economy.
• "Assadej" launches aggressive Thailand Focus campaign to attract foreign fund flow, highlighting Fast Pass and Jump+ strategies to transform Thailand into a New Economy.
• The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) sees a clear recovery in the Thai capital market, with the SET index rising to 1,600 points and foreign investors turning to net buying.