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Two Ideas from Thai Youth: Transforming Social Problems into Digital Platforms

สัลมาน สะนิ

07 Jul (10 months ago)

Zakat (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Social Enterprise)

Two Ideas from Thai Youth: Transforming Social Problems into Digital Platforms

Today's society faces numerous challenges arising from economic and social shifts — challenges that can be addressed through genuine understanding and the thoughtful application of technology and innovation.

We highlight two winning ideas from Thai youth at Youth Co:Lab 2021, a programme run in partnership by the Citi Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The initiative provides young people with a platform to exchange social business ideas and innovations, while developing their capacity to become social entrepreneurs capable of addressing persistent global challenges.

These two award-winning concepts demonstrate the potential of Thai youth to play a meaningful role in solving societal problems.

Reducing Inequality, Creating Opportunity: Connecting Street Vendors to Legitimate Financing

The first idea is Carter — a platform for street vendors, market traders, and small-scale sellers — developed by Team The Hominians. Their inspiration came from observing the debt problems faced by street vendors and market traders across Thailand.

Most of these workers belong to the informal labour sector, meaning they receive no legal welfare protection or benefits. This creates significant inequality in access to resources. Because they cannot qualify for formal bank loans, many are forced to turn to illegal moneylenders to fund their businesses. They also lack financial literacy, have no formal financial records, and are unable to maintain proper income and expense accounts.

According to the National Statistics Office (2020), Thailand has approximately 37.9 million workers, of whom only 17.5 million are in the formal sector and protected under labour law. The remaining 20.4 million are informal workers, left without legal protection in terms of health coverage or livelihood security.

The Carter platform aims to build a connected ecosystem by serving as a bridge between vendors and buyers. Key features include:

For vendors (seller side): A built-in POS system that automatically tracks income and expenses, integrates with banking applications, and records cash transactions. All transaction data is presented in clear charts, viewable on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis — generating verified financial records that vendors can use to apply for bank loans.

For buyers (general consumers and tourists): A Smart Map displaying nearby shops, a Countdown of Events feature showing upcoming market events and temple fairs, and vendor certification badges such as Clean Food Good Taste (food hygiene standard) and Michelin Guide recognition. Future development plans include an online payment system for tourists, featuring a Buy Now, Pay Later option to encourage cashless, stress-free spending.

Ayrada Songpatthanayut, CEO of Team The Hominians, stated: "Thailand's economy still suffers from a significant gap between large businesses and small traders like street vendors. As the younger generation, we believe the solution in today's world is to harness innovation and technology to close these gaps — connecting vendors to both financing and consumers. Everything is interconnected: the economy, urban community management, and sustainable development. As members of society, we see it as our shared responsibility to work together toward solutions and prevent inequality from widening further."

Leveraging Financial Technology to Reduce Inequality and Serve Thailand's Digital Muslim Community

The second initiative is the Zakat Management Platform for Thailand (www.zakatthailand.com) — a comprehensive online zakat management system designed to reduce social inequality and alleviate poverty within Thailand's Muslim community more effectively.

Zakat is a pillar of Islamic social welfare, intended to provide care and protection for those who meet the conditions prescribed by Islamic law, including the poor, the destitute, and those burdened by debt.

Historically, zakat distribution in Thailand's southern border provinces has been conducted individually and informally — distributed to a narrow circle of eligible recipients, limiting its broader impact. As a result, social assistance has not reached the poor and disadvantaged as effectively as intended.

The Zakat Management Platform for Thailand, overseen by the Alumni Association of Economics, Fatoni University, acts as an intermediary connecting zakat payers, zakat management organisations, and zakat recipients. The platform offers:

For payers: Accurate calculation of all zakat categories with multiple payment channels available.
For management organisations: A transparent financial reporting system, along with photos of zakat distribution activities displayed publicly on the website.
For recipients: The ability to apply for zakat directly through the platform, with follow-up monitoring and assessment by staff — with the long-term goal of empowering recipients to eventually become self-sufficient or even zakat contributors themselves.

Adeelah Samae, representative of the platform's development team, said: "In the six months since our platform launched, we have received a very strong response from those seeking to receive zakat. The platform has made the process far more convenient, as everything can be done online without the need to travel. On the management side, operations have become more systematic thanks to built-in data recording and reporting. Going forward, we plan to enhance the system to support a wider range of zakat connections, and to encourage more payers and recipients to join the platform — all contributing to a meaningful reduction in social inequality."

Source: SME Thailand Club — Business & Startup Resource Centre https://www.smethailandclub.com/startup-techstartup/8160.html