On February 4, 2026, the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) released a draft notification outlining updated criteria and procedures for requesting advance decisions under section 59 of the Trade Competition Act (TCA). This draft is now open for public comment through the TCCT website until March 5, 2026. Section 59 of the TCA lets businesses proactively ask the TCCT to review whether a planned activity, such as a business strategy, marketing program, or other proposed conduct, could potentially violate the TCA. The major limitation is that this mechanism cannot be used for merger‑control matters. The new draft aims to make the process more accessible and user‑friendly. Key updates include allowing for electronic submission of requests and establishing a shorter notification timeframe, requiring the TCCT to explain any delay to the 60‑day review period within 7 days instead of the previous 15 days. For many businesses, this preliminary consultation tool is an effective way to reduce regulatory and competition‑law risks. Businesses that have taken advantage of this process have found that obtaining an advance decision can provide meaningful legal certainty, as the decision is binding once issued.

Data center and cloud investments are forming a major focus of private-sector investment in Thailand, with tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and TikTok, as well as numerous telecom and data center companies, committing significant outlays to data center and cloud development. The country’s Board of Investment (BOI) approved projects worth THB 1.87 trillion in 2025, and THB 746 billion of this was from planned data center investments—by far the largest amount from any single industry. Thailand’s swift rise as a regional data center hub is fueled by surging demand for cloud, AI, and digital services, as well as large-scale investments from global tech firms. The country’s strategic location, competitive power costs, robust fiber infrastructure, expanding IT talent, and supportive government policies—including BOI incentives and streamlined approvals—have made it an attractive destination for scalable and sustainable digital infrastructure investments. The BOI’s proactive approach in updating promoted categories and providing both tax and non-tax incentives further ensures Thailand’s continued growth in this sector. 2025 BOI Changes for Data Centers In the middle of 2025, the BOI responded to the remarkable trend by updating investment‑promotion categories across various sectors (e.g., machinery and electrical equipment, public utilities, digital and innovative industries) to accommodate growing investment in data‑center projects. Before the change, which was detailed in a notification that has applied to investment promotion applications submitted from July 1, 2025, onward, data‑center projects under BOI promotion were granted a single A1 incentive (an eight‑year corporate income‑tax exemption) and subject to one uniform set of conditions. The July 2025 notification restructured promotion for data centers into two categories based on power‑usage efficiency: high‑efficiency data centers and other data centers. Under these rules, qualified high‑efficiency data centers are eligible for an eight‑year corporate income tax (CIT) exemption, while for other data centers this exemption is

Tilleke & Gibbins has contributed an updated Vietnam chapter to Foreign Investment Review 2026, a recently published global guide to the legal and regulatory environment for foreign investment in 25 jurisdictions worldwide. Published and distributed by Lexology Panoramic, the guide discusses law and policy on oversight of foreign investment, regulatory frameworks, procedural requirements, and other important stipulations for foreign investors. The Vietnam chapter was prepared by Kien Trung Trinh, a partner in the Tilleke & Gibbins’ Hanoi office, Dung Thi Phuong Le, an associate in the firm’s office in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thi Huong Nguyen, associate in Hanoi, and Ngan Thuc Nguyen, paralegal in Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnam chapter covers the following topics: Law and Policy: Government policies and practices, main laws and their scope of application (including details on investment promotional measures), definitions, rules for state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds, relevant authorities and oversight, and national interest provisions. Procedure: Jurisdictional thresholds, national interest clearance, securing approval, the review process for competition clearance and associated penalties, involvement of authorities, facilitation of clearance, and post-closing regulatory powers. Substantive assessment: Substantive tests for clearance, authorities’ consultation with other countries and other relevant parties, transactional prohibitions and objections, mitigating arrangements and challenges to a decision, and protection of confidential information. Recent cases, updates, and trends: Relevant recent case law, key recent and ongoing developments. A PDF of the Vietnam chapter can be accessed through the button below. Tilleke & Gibbins also contributed the Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar chapters to Foreign Investment Review 2026. Readers can also gain 30 days of complementary access to the full Foreign Investment Review 2026 guide and the rest of Lexology Panoramic’s varied offerings through this link.

Tilleke & Gibbins has contributed an updated Myanmar chapter to the recently published Foreign Investment Review 2026, a global guide to the legal and regulatory environment for foreign investment in 25 jurisdictions worldwide. Published and distributed by Lexology Panoramic, the guide discusses law and policy on oversight of foreign investment, regulatory frameworks, procedural requirements, and other important concerns for foreign investors. The Myanmar chapter was prepared by Nwe Oo and Aye Thuzar Hlaing, senior associates in Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Yangon. The Myanmar chapter covers the following topics: Law and Policy: Government policies and practices, main laws and their scope of application (including details on investment promotional measures), definitions, rules for state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds, relevant authorities and oversight, and national interest provisions. Procedure: Jurisdictional thresholds, national interest clearance, securing approval, the review process for competition clearance and associated penalties, involvement of authorities, facilitation of clearance, and post-closing regulatory powers. Substantive assessment: Substantive tests for clearance, authorities’ consultation with other countries and other relevant parties, transactional prohibitions and objections, mitigating arrangements and challenges to a decision, and protection of confidential information. Recent cases, updates, and trends: Relevant recent case law, key recent and ongoing developments. A PDF of the Myanmar chapter can be downloaded through the button below. Tilleke & Gibbins also contributed the Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam chapters to Foreign Investment Review 2026. Readers can also gain 30 days of complementary access to the full Foreign Investment Review 2026 guide and the rest of Lexology Panoramic’s varied offerings through this link.