Thanakorn advised SME D Bank that success should not be measured solely by the volume of loans disbursed but also by the strength of the entrepreneurs receiving support. He pointed out that SME support must be tailored to each individual business.
On 5 Nov 2026, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a party-list MP of Bhumjaithai Party and former Minister of Industry, discussed SME D Bank's 2025 annual report. Toward the end of 2025, he had the opportunity to oversee the bank’s activities within the Ministry of Industry and witnessed closely their assistance to SME entrepreneurs. He praised the board, management, and staff of SME D Bank for their dedicated work supporting entrepreneurs continuously. The bank disbursed over 79 billion baht in loans to 7,817 entrepreneurs, with a non-performing loan ratio of 7.90% and a net profit of 261 million baht amid a slowing economy, high costs, and business debt burdens. However, he emphasized that funding support is only the beginning; the key is helping entrepreneurs generate income, increase productivity, and improve competitiveness. As a development financial institution, SME D Bank must create opportunities for entrepreneurs while maintaining the bank’s financial stability to sustain ongoing support for Thai SMEs.
Thanakorn added that Thailand has about 3.31 million SME entrepreneurs, generating employment for over 13.6 million people and contributing more than 6.6 trillion baht to the economy, or 34.8% of GDP. Yet many entrepreneurs still face difficulties accessing credit, especially small businesses lacking collateral or financial history. While loans increase survival chances, there is no clear evidence they enable business expansion, indicating that capital helps businesses survive but growth requires technology, management, and market opportunities as well. Therefore, SME support must fit each business’s needs: startups need capital, established businesses require productivity improvements, and growth-ready firms need technology and new markets. Tailored assistance is as important as increasing loan amounts.
He further stated that effective SME support requires managing capital, business development, and debt solutions together. At the end of 2025, he collaborated with SME D Bank to launch 96 “Overcome and Push SMEs” centers nationwide, providing comprehensive assistance under the “3 Fills” concept: 1. Fill capital with special loans at a fixed 3% interest rate for 3 years, up to 15 million baht, repayable over 10 years; 2. Fill knowledge through skill development and the DX by SME D Bank platform to enhance business management, technology, and marketing channels; and 3. Fill opportunities via the “3 Reductions and Debt Relief” measures reducing installments, principal, and overdue interest to help indebted entrepreneurs rehabilitate. The key is to match assistance to each business’s problems, as liquidity-short businesses require different help than those with accumulated debt or expansion plans. He hopes SME D Bank will further develop this approach, linking lending with entrepreneur development from the Ministry of Industry and related agencies to enable SMEs to generate income and compete effectively.
He also urged the government and SME D Bank to undertake three key actions:
1. Increase credit access by evaluating income and business transaction data to assist capable entrepreneurs lacking collateral.
2. Measure success by business strength, tracking whether entrepreneurs increase income and productivity, sustain employment, and continue operations.
3. Prevent non-performing loans early by monitoring risk and restructuring debt according to borrower capacity, helping businesses recover while maintaining bank stability. He requested the current Minister of Industry to continue supporting these initiatives of filling capital, knowledge, and opportunities.
"I want to see SME D Bank not only help SMEs access funding but also enable entrepreneurs to generate income, enhance competitiveness, and grow sustainably. Ultimately, the bank's success should be measured not just by loan volumes but by the strength of the entrepreneurs supported," Thanakorn said. Thanakorn said.