UOB, The FinLab launch programme to help SMEs in Thailand go digital
SMEs from the F&B, FMCG, construction, logistics, retail, wholesale and travel industries can apply for the Smart Business Transformation Programme
United Overseas Bank Thailand has launched Smart Business Transformation Programme to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country to go digital.
The programme will be run in collaboration with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP), and startup accelerator The FinLab.
During the three-month programme, experts from The FinLab will help SMEs to identify their business concerns and to equip them with the tools, know-how and confidence to innovate. SMEs will also be matched with specially-chosen technology solution providers to implement digital solutions to address the concerns.
Interested SMEs from the food and beverage, fast-moving consumer goods, construction, logistics, retail, wholesale and travel industries can apply for the programme here. Applications are open until April 2019.
Those considering joining the Programme should be keen to adopt technology, have regional growth plans and an annual turnover of between 25 million baht (US$735,000) and 1 billion baht (US$37 million).
Under Thailand 4.0, the Thai government aims to raise the contribution of SMEs to 50 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025, up from 36 per cent in 2018. With almost three million SMEs comprising 99.7 per cent of Thai companies in 2018, the performance of SMEs is crucial to the country’s GDP growth and economic development.
In an online survey conducted by The FinLab, SMEs in Thailand said their top two business growth strategies are entering new markets (54 per cent) and using digital marketing to grow sales (51 per cent). They also shared that they are concerned about the costs (67 per cent) and complexity (44 per cent) of implementing digital solutions.
To help Thai SMEs overcome these concerns, the programme will focus on helping them enter new markets and use digital marketing to grow sales. For example, UOB (Thai) will help the Thai SMEs selected for the programme with their regional expansion plans and will also provide working capital funding for the SMEs to implement technology transformation projects.
The FinLab, having run three acceleration programmes in Singapore to help both startups and SMEs grow their businesses, will run the programme for selected Thai SMEs.
depa will provide funding support to the participating SMEs to implement technology solutions and organise workshops to educate SMEs on how to apply for these funds.
The NSTDA will provide grants to participating SMEs through the Innovation Technology Assistance Programme (ITAP) for consultancy and expert services on digital transformation.
OSMEP, as a policy maker for SMEs promotion in Thailand, will design new policies and plans to help SMEs leverage technology to grow their businesses.
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