Thais will be required to verify and authenticate their identity, known as know-your-customer (KYC) procedures, for the digital wallet project through the state-developed Tang Rat super app.
According to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, Tang Rat (the state channel) will allow Thais to register for the programme in advance.
The app should help stagger the registration process for identity verification, he said, adding that around 15 million people can be registered in advance.
Tang Rat combines services from all state agencies on digital platforms.
“Anyone who wants to register can do so now. I am tasking some organisations to handle the registration because we plan to clear about 15 million people first,” Mr Julapun said on Thursday.
“We will bring people to register in advance, even though the system is not yet fully operational.
“By the time it goes live, we may already have more than 10 million people registered. If we allow 50 million people to register on the same day, no system can handle that. Several million people have already registered via Tang Rat.”
Mr Julapun declined to specify the official registration date, saying it would be announced later at Government House.
The digital wallet is the flagship initiative of the government, led by the Pheu Thai Party, aimed at stimulating the economy.
The project will use a budget of 500 billion baht to distribute 10,000 baht each to Thais aged 16 and above. It is expected that around 50 million people will be eligible.
The handout was originally scheduled to begin in February, then put off to May. But as questions persisted about funding sources as well as the readiness of online systems, the start was postponed to the fourth quarter of the year.
Mr Julapun said the settlement system for the programme was still being developed by the Digital Government Development Agency, but he expressed confidence that it would be completed on schedule.
To be eligible for this project, individuals must be Thai citizens aged 16 and above with an income (as evidenced by personal income tax filings) not exceeding 70,000 baht per month or 840,000 baht per year.
Those receiving the digital wallet funds can spend the money within their districts according to their ID card.
The shops where the funds can be used will be small businesses, including convenience stores and smaller ones. However, shops receiving digital money can spend it outside their districts or anywhere else.
Products that cannot be purchased with digital funds include services and imported goods such as mobile phones.