Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has set a target of supporting 70,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) next year.
The goal includes helping to create 10,000 start-ups.
Among the 70,000 companies, 50,000 are healthy but need some help from the government to expand, while 10,000 are in a critical financial situation and urgently need government help.
The remaining 10,000 will be start-ups the government intends to create in order to help move the economy into modern trade and the digital economy, Mr Somkid said.
Somkid: Start-ups urgently needed
"We need to create such start-ups urgently because these companies will help to drive the economy," he said, referring to the goods, service and creative industries that constitute online and other modern business.
As a result, the government needs to support and help create new businesses that use high technology with modern software. The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (Osmep) should cooperate with colleges and universities to create these new businesses.
"Thailand has the potential to become a regional centre of services and IT-based businesses, so we must boost the creative industry to meet that goal," Mr Somkid said.
This approach will be in line with those of private banks, which tend to lend to new start-ups, which normally do not require large capital but offer high returns due to added value.
Besides start-ups, the government will support business-matching between Thai and foreign SMEs in the creative field, Mr Somkid said.
"Foreign SMEs including Taiwanese, South Korean and Japanese ones have expressed interest in doing business here and are looking for local partners. It's the duty of the government and Osmep to support them," he added.
Salinee Wangtal, chairwoman of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, said the government would implement measures to support and create new start-ups next year.
"The government expects the measures to start having a positive effect on SMEs, especially start-ups, next year. Moreover, business-matching between Thai and foreign SMEs should be finished a month from now," she said.
According to Osmep data, Thailand has 2.7 million registered SMEs but only 400,000 pay taxes, so these firms will be the first to receive government support.