Ekniti listens to merchants' feedback and plans to extend the Thai Help Thai Plus program by another 1-2 months. The government is preparing to launch the “AI Whisper Loan” to address informal debt, featuring a maximum credit limit of up to 3 million baht, low interest rates, no fees, and no collateral required.
On 10 September 2026, Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, revealed after launching the “AI Whisper Loan” and visiting Whisper merchants that feedback from market visits showed most vendors want the government to extend the “Thai Help Thai Plus” program by about 1-2 months. He said he is urgently considering this and confirmed that sufficient funds remain to continue the program.
Key factors for considering the extension include the energy crisis and rising global oil prices, aiming to alleviate living costs for the public. A decision on extending the program and adjusting the co-payment ratio is expected within 2-3 weeks. Currently, the Thai Help Thai Plus program has about 40 million users, including 26 million general users and 13 million State Welfare Card holders, with over 1.2 million small merchants nationwide. It has circulated more than 150 billion baht in the economy, with 16–17% concentrated in Bangkok and the rest spreading to other regions.
Today's launch of the “AI Whisper Loan” builds upon the Thai Help Thai Plus project to enhance support for small entrepreneurs. “Whisper” is a free AI assistant on the Tung Ngern application that analyzes sales data, indicates peak sales days, and evaluates raw material costs to help shops plan purchases more cost-effectively and increase profits. Even after the Thai Help Thai Plus program ends, the Whisper function will remain available as long as merchants continue using the Tung Ngern app.
Mr. Ekniti emphasized that a crucial goal of the Whisper function is to solve small vendors’ difficulties accessing credit, as they often rely on informal loans. AI Whisper summarizes account deposits to serve as evidence for banks to consider loan applications immediately via mobile phone, without collateral, cumbersome documents, or bank branch visits.
“We want the Thai Help Thai Plus program to make it easier for small Thai merchants to access loans. From now on, they won’t need to look for quick loan signs on utility poles; they can simply apply through a button in the app. We ask everyone to help recommend shops to use AI Whisper, so merchants can improve sales, grow wealthier, and have opportunities to expand their businesses.”
Mr. Payong Srivanich, President of Krungthai Bank, explained about the Whisper loans for Tung Ngern merchants. The bank offers loans for businesses including wholesale, retail, services, and online stores through two projects with no application fees: a Small SME Loan for shops using the AI Whisper on the Tung Ngern app with a maximum limit of 3 million baht per borrower and interest starting at 3.5% per year fixed for the first two years; and a 100,000 Baht Loan for Tung Ngern merchants with a maximum of 500,000 baht per borrower, interest starting at 11% per year, and monthly installments beginning at 500 baht.
Meanwhile, Mr. Songpol Chewapanyaroj, Director of the Government Savings Bank, said the bank has developed the “GSB QR Maha Heng x Whisper” loan for small entrepreneurs using the Tung Ngern app. It uses sales data and QR payment history combined with behavioral data and the bank’s credit assessment system to approve loans up to 50,000 baht per borrower, with a fixed interest rate of 0.75% per month, no collateral required, and no application fees.
Mr. Sitthikorn Direksuntorn, Executive Director of the Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation (SICGC), stated that SICGC supports small merchants, entrepreneurs, and SMEs lacking collateral or guarantors to access loans more easily through two main guarantee programs: Nano Plus and Credit Plus. Guarantee amounts start from 5,000 baht up to 100 million baht per borrower, with guarantee fees beginning at 1% per year, and exemptions on guarantee processing and issuance fees to reduce borrowing costs.
Additionally, Mr. Winij Wisesuwanphoom, Director of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, added that the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Islamic Bank of Thailand, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME D Bank) are also participating in developing loan products under the “AI Whisper Loan” program to comprehensively meet the working capital, liquidity, and expansion needs of entrepreneurs in various sectors.