A procurement director from one of Thailand’s largest multinational corporations leaned forward and said: “We’ve invested millions in ERP systems and procurement platforms. But we’re still spending 40% of our time chasing approvals, fixing maverick spend, and manually routing requests. Where’s the AI that actually solves that?” That moment captured the central challenge facing procurement […]

TL;DR In 2026, procurement priorities in Thailand are being shaped by evolving market dynamics: currency management, regulatory digitalization, national economic transformation, regional integration, and technological modernization. Multi-currency operations require enhanced spend visibility and AI-driven negotiation capabilities for cost predictability. Evolving tax digitalization creates opportunities for automated contract management and compliance excellence. Thailand 4.0 initiatives present

The ₱40 Million Migration Myth Holding Philippine Leaders Back A procurement director from one of Manila’s largest conglomerates leaned back during the Day 2 breakout session I organized and said: “Everyone talks about digital transformation like it’s inevitable. But for us? We’re paying ₱15 million annually across five different procurement vendors that don’t talk to

TL;DR Procurement challenges South Africa include regulatory complexity, supplier risk, manual processes, governance weaknesses and skills shortages. Inefficiencies result in delays, cost overruns and poor supplier performance across public- and private-sector procurement. Supplier risk is intensified by logistics issues, financial instability, compliance gaps and unreliable infrastructure. Fragmented and paper-based workflows weaken transparency and increase governance