Suksamruay supports elevating village funds to community financial institutions to thoroughly resolve informal debt issues and is pushing to rehabilitate 'red' funds to restore financial discipline.
On 15 August 2026, Mrs. Suksamruay Wantaneeyakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, spoke about the future direction for village and urban community funds, stating the project “Thai Helps Thai, Capital Increase, Half Interest” is a collaboration between the government and the National Village and Urban Community Fund Office (NVUCFO) aimed at addressing debt problems and creating financial opportunities nationwide.
In the short term, the government prioritizes reducing expenses and solving debt issues urgently to improve citizens' quality of life. It has allocated 4.452 billion baht to over 79,610 village and urban community funds to enable fair and low-cost access to formal financing. The Prime Minister has clearly directed that this budget is not merely a cash injection but must be transformed into capital for livelihoods, generating family income and circulating money within communities.
The government will incrementally inject capital into funds ranging from 30,000 to 150,000 baht to compensate for interest reductions of up to 50% granted to members. This interest reduction enables members to save expenses and increases money circulation locally. This role positions village and urban community funds as key sources of low-interest capital access, paving the way for their future elevation into community financial institutions.
To improve the quality of village and urban community funds, the NVUCFO classifies funds into green, yellow, and red categories. A key goal is rehabilitating 'red' funds, which previously faced management problems, restoring their discipline and operations. The office is also tracking the disbursement of a second capital increase budget of around 3.4 billion baht to ensure equal opportunities for all villages. However, strict measures will be enforced in cases of fraud or intentional damage.
Mr. Chankit Trairattananon, Director of the National Village and Urban Community Fund Office (NVUCFO), stated, “Our long-term goal is to promote village funds to become community financial institutions to effectively and sustainably solve informal debt problems.”
Village funds will collaborate with state banks such as the Government Savings Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and Krungthai Bank as mentors to support more systematic financial and transactional services accessible to citizens everywhere. This represents a shift from village funds being just lending sources to becoming a strong financial mechanism and a fundamental pillar of Thailand's future economy.
