From 2026, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is replacing its in-house SET ESG Ratings with FTSE Russell ESG Scores — aligning Thai listed companies with a global benchmarking standard used by international investors and index providers. For boards and IR teams, this is not a cosmetic change: it shifts how your ESG performance is judged, and it raises the stakes on the quality of your public, English-language disclosure.
What is changing in 2026
The SET has run its own SET ESG Ratings (formerly THSI) for years. Starting in 2026 it transitions to FTSE Russell’s ESG Scores model. All companies in the SET100 Index are assessed, and the transition is open to other listed companies as well. The goal is to put Thai issuers on the same measuring stick that global funds already use when they screen and weight holdings.
How FTSE Russell ESG scoring works
FTSE Russell uses a three-tier structure: 3 pillars (Environmental, Social, Governance), 14 themes, and 300+ indicators. Thai companies are evaluated on roughly 125 indicators on average, depending on sector exposure. Crucially, FTSE Russell does not send questionnaires to companies. It scores you using publicly disclosed information only — gathered from your corporate reports, your website, and press releases.
Why English disclosure now decides your score
Because the assessment is built entirely on what you have published, anything that is missing, buried, or only available in Thai effectively does not count. A strong sustainability programme that is poorly disclosed — or disclosed only in Thai — will score below a weaker programme that is clearly and completely reported in English. In practice, your annual report and 56-1 One Report, sustainability report, and website ESG pages become the raw material for your FTSE Russell score. Accurate, complete bilingual (Thai–English) disclosure is now a direct scoring lever.
How this connects to IFRS S1/S2
The FTSE Russell transition runs alongside Thailand’s phased adoption of IFRS S1 and S2 sustainability disclosure standards (beginning with SET50 from 2026). Together they push in the same direction: more structured, investor-grade, financially material ESG disclosure — published clearly and in English. Companies that build their disclosure once, properly, can satisfy both.
What boards should do now
- Run a disclosure gap analysis against the FTSE Russell indicators relevant to your sector.
- Publish what you already do — much of the score gap is undisclosed activity, not missing activity.
- Make every ESG disclosure available in English, on the same timeline as the Thai version.
- Align the sustainability narrative across the One Report, sustainability report, and website so the data is consistent everywhere FTSE Russell looks.
How Othello International helps
We combine ESG advisory with ISO 17100-certified bilingual translation in one workflow — so your disclosure is both strategically complete and accurately presented in English. Our FTSE Russell readiness service maps your disclosure against the methodology, identifies the highest-impact gaps, and delivers board-ready, bilingual reporting before the 2026 assessment window. Talk to our team for a readiness review.
Related: For background on the rating system FTSE Russell is replacing, see SET ESG Ratings explained.
Related ESG guides
- GRI vs SASB vs IFRS S1/S2: ESG Reporting Frameworks Explained (2026)
- 56-1 One Report Deadline 2026: Thailand Filing Dates & Bilingual Requirements
- Carbon Credits in Thailand 2026: T-VER, Premium T-VER and What Corporates Need to Know
- What Is ESG? A Practical Guide for Thai Companies (2026)
- CSRD After the Omnibus: What Thai Suppliers to EU Companies Actually Need to Provide (2026)