Electronic transactions to rise by 10% from last year's Bt658tn

In order to promote the use of e-business transactions, the Electronic Transaction Development Agency (ETDA) - a new government agency - has the task of creating confidence in the security of electronic business, thereby encouraging both government and private-sector organisations to transact business by electronic means.

ETDA executive director Surangkana Wayuparb said her agency was developing a law and regulation infrastructure covering security, computer forensics and a threat-monitoring system.

It is also developing information and communication technology (ICT) standards and working to ensure the training of human resources to support the increasing popularity of new business transactions, such as mobile commerce.

"I think it is important that we lay down infrastructure and security in order not only to facilitate business and customers, but also to protect that business and those customers from risk and threat. The agency is also planning to set up online consumer protection in the near future, so that it will create public awareness of issues related to security and privacy," she said.

Another priority task related to creating confidence among users and business is the ETDA's development of e-commerce transaction standards, an e-commerce infrastructure and e-commerce certification.

Surangkana said that according to the Bank of Thailand, electronic payments or transactions involving products and services totalled Bt658.25 trillion in 2010. This came from credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, eMoney, Bahtnet, ITMX, telephone banking, internet banking, office banking, mobile banking, direct debit and direct credit. Of this, Bt18.63 billion came from purchasing products or services with credit cards or via Internet banking. Payments for products and services worth Bt292.68 million were made through mobile banking in 2010.

"I think that by the end of this year, e-business transactions - or e-transactions -will have grown by around 10 per cent from last year because customers and businesses are gaining confidence in purchasing goods and services over the Internet. Moreover, e-business and e-commerce is also creating opportunities, expanding customer and business bases to the global market," she said.

As well as supporting increased e-business transactions by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the agency plans to develop a standard translation template for SMEs so that they will be able to translate details of their products, such as the ingredients used in Otop products, from the local language into English, before they offer the products via e-commerce, or on international markets.

The agency is aiming for an increase of about 10 per cent per year in SME and Otop products and services being sold via e-transactions.

It will also create what is known as a National Root Certification Authority, which will be responsible for issuing electronic certificates to authenticate transactions, or identifying certificate holders as a basis for security and trust, as well as developing digital-content standards, not only to create confidence, but also to reduce the effects on business of laws and regulations. It will also support and promote the paperless trade data-harmonisation project - the National Single Window - in order to give Thailand competitiveness in global markets and in the coming Asean Economic Community.