Payong Srivanij, CEO of Krung Thai Bank and chair of the Thai Bankers Association, delivered the keynote at Bangkok Business Summit 2026, emphasizing that Thailand and ASEAN face a critical window to compete for new investment, supply chains, and high-value economic activity amid AI, energy transition, and geopolitical shifts. The core challenge: convert Thailand's structural advantages (industrial capacity, infrastructure, finance) into concrete execution and move SMEs and businesses up global value chains. He outlined a "Whole-of-Society" approach requiring private sector leadership in identifying investment barriers and building new competitive capabilities, while government removes obstacles. This year is pivotal—the World Bank is launching "Building Thailand's Future Today," Bangkok hosts the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in October, and Thailand will assume ASEAN presidency in 2027.