Fewer Thai citizens register to receive $300 digital wallet handout than anticipated

Thailand’s Ministry of Finance, which had anticipated that 45 million would apply before registration closed on Sept. 15, said the lower-than-expected registration has saved the government 100 billion baht from the program’s budget, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

To qualify for the handout, individuals must be over 16 years old, earn less than 840,000 baht annually, and have less than 500,000 baht in savings. The ministry estimated that 50 million Thai citizens met these requirements.

Government agencies are currently verifying applicants’ eligibility and will prioritize distributing the handout to vulnerable groups first to minimize confusion, Thai newspaper The Nation quoted Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat as saying on Monday.

The vulnerable groups comprise 14.5 million people, including 12.4 million state welfare cardholders and 2.1 million disability cardholders, according to Thai news website Thaiger.

The 10,000 baht handout will be transferred to these citizens’ bank accounts on Sept. 25, 26, 27 and 30, while applicants not in the priority groups will receive their funds in the subsequent phase of the scheme.

Julapun said the names of qualified recipients will be published by the government following the completion of the verification process.