Deputy Finance Minister has disclosed no conclusive decision on the Digital Wallet project has been reached but the condition for using digital money within a 4-kilometer radius has been changed.
After a joint meeting with Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, Deputy Chairman of Commission on Monetary, Finance, Banking and Financial Institutions Wiraphop Viriyaroj said that the project is still under review by the government-appointed subcommittee.
Regarding the conditions for using digital money within a 4-kilometer radius, the deputy minister clarified that the 4-kilometer condition did not include in the Digital Wallet steering subcommittee’s discussion, but they were now considering the new condition which could involve specifying areas at the sub-district, district, or provincial level instead of the 4- kilometer distance. However, a final decision has not been reached.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Finance was urged to expedite the process of disclosing to the public how the 10,000-baht Digital Wallet project will be economically viable and funded by taxpayers.
This request comes in light of opposition from several economists. The the Ministry of Finance, the Budget Bureau, the National Economic and Social Development Council, and the Bank of Thailand will be responsible for preparing this summary.
As for the development of the Digital Wallet application or super app, Mr. Wiraphop stated that the meeting did not discuss the issue. However, he and the Move Forward Party reaffirmed that the existing application “Pao Tang” can be used for the Digital Wallet project, eliminating the need for the government to create a new application and potentially waste budget resources. (TNA)
