Wildlife Crime Crackdown: Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is targeting illegal wildlife sales by monitoring social media and using undercover officers, after setting up a Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit in 2023 to track cross-border organised trafficking. Food Inflation Watch: OCBC warns El Niño could hit ASEAN more through higher food prices than slower growth, flagging Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as more exposed to imported inflation from rice, wheat, maize and vegetable oil shocks. Digital Payments Interop: Ant International’s Alipay+ push is expanding “agentic” mobile payments, while Ant, Mastercard and Visa are working on a Know-Your-Agent interoperability framework to streamline agent onboarding across networks. Fraud & AML Tech: Thailand’s central bank is rolling out a joint framework with 11 industry bodies to curb illicit finance, using shared databases, tighter scrutiny of high-risk cash flows, and technology-driven transaction flagging. Data Centre Environmental Debate: Thailand is pausing 166 data centre projects as it balances AI ambitions with limits on water and power, raising questions about where facilities are built and how they’re regulated. Cybercrime via AI: Thai police arrested a Chinese suspect in Pattaya tied to a crypto heist allegedly using AI face-swapping to impersonate victims and drain accounts. EV & Clean Energy Moves: Thailand’s clean transport ecosystem gets a boost as INNOPOWER supports green mobility solutions, while EV import rules and market shifts continue to reshape the sector.