Pongpun Gearaviriyapun, director-general of the department, said it would ask the Interior Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for the authority to set up an online registration system to save entrepreneurs cost and time.

She said that besides helping enterprises, the online registration system should allow consumers to check the backgrounds of companies easily. “The department will help verify enterprises to prevent unscrupulous businesses ripping off consumers.”

The system should also help increase Thailand’s competitiveness ranking, Pongpun said.

The IMD World Competitiveness Centre upgraded Thailand’s ranking from 30th to 28th this year. The upgrade resulted mainly from the improvement in government efficiency to facilitate business transactions and better service standards.

The department will also encourage online traders in social networks such as on Facebook and Instagram to register with the department.

The Commerce Ministry has called for e-commerce traders to register with the department so they will get a legal business licence and protection under the law.

With rising trend of e-commerce, the Business Development Department has projected the number of registrations of online traders surging to 60,000 this year from about 15,000 in 2015.

The department has found that more than 500,000 enterprises trade online, but only a few of them have registered for a business licence.

The department will host the fifth “Thailand E-Commerce Days” from June 9-11 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. The event is aimed at promoting online trading, whose value is estimated to reach Bt2.1 trillion this year.