The service eliminates the need to enter an account number or switch screens when conducting the transaction.

The initiative is in response to the fast-growing social-commerce market in the country, Patchara said.

To promote the service, customers making their first purchase of at least Bt300 via Pay with K PLUS are entitled to Bt100 cashback until September 25.

KBank has set a target of Bt30 billion for transactions via the new service within the first year, the president added.

Bumrungrad is one of the largest stand-alone private hospitals in Southeast Asia, with over 580 beds and 30 specialty centres.

Both parties will benefit greatly from the collaboration, BookDoc from working with one of the most reputable names in the Southeast Asian healthcare industry, and Bumrungrad International from gaining access to BookDoc’s expanding network of patients across the region.

Malaysia-based BookDoc’s users will have the opportunity for a better quality of medical treatment and care by well-experienced medical doctors and nurses, medical innovation and technology, and compassionate caring, said Dato’ Chevy Beh, founder and chief executive officer of BookDoc.

“This is indeed another milestone for BookDoc, to be able to partner with Bumrungrad International, one the largest and most reputable private hospital in Southeast Asia, and this is in line with BookDoc’s goal to enhance the access to healthcare in the Asia region,” he added.

BookDoc, which has a presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia, is an online platform that operates across the healthcare continuum, connecting patients to healthcare professionals anytime and anywhere, while incentivising all its users to stay active.

The rating reflects the listed company’s hefty project backlog, solid profitability, and growing track record of undertaking large-scale infrastructure projects, TRIS said.

These strengths are partially offset by business concentration risks, a recent rise in financial leverage, as well as the cyclicality of and stiff competition in the engineering and construction industry, it added.

The Marine and Coastal Resources Department, meanwhile, has revealed that a survey of plastic pollution from January to June found that the amount of garbage found in the waters off Thailand’s coastal provinces had increased, and that most of that waste was made up by plastic bags – with 15,154 pieces found.

Including other plastic waste, the total amount of plastic trash found during the six-month exercise totalled more than 60,000 pieces.

Central Food Hall and Tops have acknowledged the problem and responded to the government’s “Reducing Plastic Bags Campaign” by announcing a 100-per-cent “Plastic Bags Free” day next Tuesday.

The supermarket chain expects to reduce the use of plastic bags by some 500,000 units that day alone.

Phattaraporn Phenpraphat, executive vice president for marketing & public relations of Central Food Retail, said: “The world is drowning in an ever-growing amount of garbage and plastic, and the problem is getting worse every year … Without proper waste-management strategies, Thailand is now the sixth-biggest contributor to plastic trash on ocean floors among 192 coastal countries worldwide.

“The recent tragic news story about the death of a short-finned pilot whale, found in a Songkhla canal having swallowed at least 80 plastic bags, finally brought interest and awareness to people about the gigantic plastic problem.”

“Central Food Hall and Tops acknowledge this problem, especially the one-time use of plastic bags, and are campaigning to urge customers to use reusable cloth grocery bags and decline plastic bags. We want to be seen as a green retailer that shows responsibility and gives full support to all initiatives to solve environmental problems.

“We announce that on July 3, which is ‘International Plastic Bag Free Day’, we are not giving plastic bags to our customers in all branches of Central Food Hall, Tops Market, Top SUPERSTORE, Tops Daily and Tops Online. Customers are urged to bring their own reusable cloth grocery bags and will receive eight bonus points on their The1Card point, which amounts to Bt1,” Phattaraporn explained.

“For customers who forget to bring their own shopping bag, we have prepared paper boxes, completely free of charge. To help the environment and support the campaign, you can also purchase a reusable cloth grocery bag,” she added.

“During the campaign day, the number of used plastic bags will reduce by a whopping 500,000 bags. And that’s just for one day! It is our intention to start convincing and encouraging all Thais to use reusable cloth bags and to not only decline plastic bags, but to stop using them completely,” the executive VP said.

The company, which will provide app-based on-demand services, will focus on developing a ride-hailing offering first, before expanding into a broader range of services in the future.

The launch of GET is part of Indonesia-based GO-JEK’s international expansion plan.

The brand was developed in Thailand and benefits from a Thai founding management team with extensive experience in the tech industry and in-depth knowledge of Thai consumers, drivers and other stakeholders.

It aims to become an indispensable part of life in Thailand, making life easier for consumers, while also providing partner drivers and local entrepreneurs with access to additional income sources.

The arrival of GET on the streets of Bangkok will see GO-JEK’s world-class technology come to Thailand, the company said.

The move follows the announcement last month of GO-JEK’s US$500-million (Bt16.48 billion) plan to launch in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.

The announcement followed the company’s latest fund-raising round, which saw backing from Google, Warburg Pincus, KKR, Tencent and Meituan-Dianping, among others.

Pinya Nittayakasetwat, GET chief executive officer and co-founder, said: “GO-JEK became the first homegrown unicorn in Indonesia because it believed technology could provide a solution to some of the country’s most challenging problems.

“The GET team is inspired by the way the company turned the pains of everyday commuters into a business opportunity that improved life for millions of people. We are driven by the same philosophy and we share the same passion to make a positive impact on Thai society.

“We are Thais, born and raised in Thailand, so we have a deep understanding of Thai consumer needs …With GO-JEK’s support in technology and know-how, we are confident we can scale up quickly and become Thailand’s preferred choice.”

GO-JEK is the largest on-demand multi-service platform in Indonesia, which has improved the livelihoods of more than one million drivers and over 150,000 merchants.

Nadiem Makarim, GO-JEK’s CEO and founder, said: “We’re so excited about what the future might hold for us in Thailand, not least because the management team at GET very much shares our determination, passion and enthusiasm for technology and using it to create a positive impact on society. We will help them with tech and share our experience of launching and scaling new products quickly.”

Pinya added: “We’re committed to working with government to develop technology that improves life for as many Thais as possible. We hope to become a champion and key example of how business can take a leading role in the ‘Thailand 4.0’ initiative to boost the country’s competitiveness.”

The service eliminates the need to enter an account number or switch screens when conducting the transaction.

The initiative is in response to the fast-growing social-commerce market in the country, Patchara said.

To promote the service, customers making their first purchase of at least Bt300 via Pay with K PLUS are entitled to Bt100 cashback until September 25.

KBank has set a target of Bt30 billion for transactions via the new service within the first year, the president added.

Until now, Grab users have been able to tap an in-app SOS button in the event of an emergency, which allows them to be connected to the Thai Royal Police directly.

Grab has now enhanced this feature to allow users to add and save up to three emergency contacts.

In the event of any potential safety incidents where users are unable to speak on the phone, they can tap the SOS button, which will trigger an instantaneous SMS alert to inform their saved contacts of their ride details.

This enhancement has been deployed to all users across Southeast Asia, the company said.

France-based Michelin, a global brand in the automotive industry, has positioned the new centre as its first logistics hub in Asia, according to a company release on Monday.

TPARK was represented at the opening by Sopon Racharaksa, president of TICON Industrial Connection, its parent company, alongside Bruno Plantaz, managing director for Mekong Cluster (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia Lao, Vietnam) of CEVA Logistics (Thailand).

Located within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), TPARK Bowin has a total lease area of more than 16,000 square metres.