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Crypto Regulation & Compliance News
Thailand has adopted a formal Travel Rule for digital assets, requiring crypto businesses operating in the country to collect information on parties involved in transfers, verify the ownership of self-custodial wallets, and retain transaction records for at least five years. The regulations were issued by Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 2 and will take effect on Feb. 27, 2027.
The rules give digital asset operators nearly six months to build or upgrade systems for transmitting, receiving, and monitoring transaction information. The Travel Rule is a globalAnti-Money Laundering (AML) standard promoted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which estimated that 83% of surveyed jurisdictions had passed Travel Rule legislation as of 2026. Thailand’s move brings the country in line with that global push to track the parties behind crypto transfers.
Self-Custodial Wallets Face New Verification Requirements
One of the more notable elements of the new framework is its treatment of self-custodial wallets. Unlike wallets held by centralized exchanges or custodians,self-custodial wallets give users direct control over their private keys and funds. Under the new rules, Thai digital asset operators must verify the ownership or control of self-custodial wallets whenever a customer sends crypto to or receives crypto from one. Operators must also conduct due diligence on counterparties and verify the qualifications of counterparty digital asset service providers involved in transfer routes.
The regulations require operators to transmit originator and beneficiary information alongside every digital asset transfer order. All accompanying transaction data must be stored for a minimum of five years in a format that allows regulators to retrieve or examine it promptly. Pornanong Budsaratragoon, secretary-general of Thailand’s SEC, said the rules are designed to reduce the risk of digital asset operators being used for money laundering and terrorist financing and to align Thailand’s framework with FATF standards.
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Thailand Broadens Crypto Regulatory Framework
The Travel Rule follows two rounds of public consultation in 2026. The SEC first published proposed principles in March and released a draft notification in June, with most stakeholders expressing support for both. The rules were developed in coordination with Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), which is separately preparing its own regulations under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The Travel Rule is one part of a broader expansion of Thailand’s crypto regulatory framework. Earlier the same week, the country’s SEC proposed allowing intermediaries to offer retail investors access to certain cryptoderivatives traded on regulated overseas exchanges. The regulator also advanced draft rules for spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and sought feedback on requirements for foreign digital asset custodians used by funds investing in crypto.
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