Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission has opened consultations on new stablecoin regulations, proposing a daily transfer cap of roughly $151,000 per person as part of an effort to tighten oversight of digital-asset payments. The proposal aims to ensure that deposits and withdrawals occur only through verified accounts, reducing the financial risks associated with money laundering and cybercrime.
The proposal
Under the proposed rules, each person would face a one-way transfer limit of about $151,000 per day. The cap is designed to mitigate the risks tied to illicit activity while still allowing compliant firms and everyday users to move funds. The consultation is the latest sign that Thai regulators are looking to formalize guardrails around stablecoins as their use in payments grows, and it gives the market a clearer picture of how the country intends to supervise a rapidly expanding asset class.
Exemptions and scope
Transfers between regulated operators that comply with the Travel Rule would not be subject to the cap, an effort to balance regulatory oversight with operational flexibility for licensed institutions. That carve-out means institutional and compliant-to-compliant transfers could continue without hitting the daily limit, while retail and unverified flows face tighter scrutiny. The Travel Rule requires financial institutions to share information about the sender and recipient of transactions, and its inclusion signals that Thailand wants to anchor its stablecoin rules to existing anti-money-laundering standards.
Context
The move, highlighted by WuBlockchain, follows a broader global trend of regulators imposing stricter rules on stablecoin transactions, which have also powered a wave of enterprise stablecoin card programs, a market that keeps evolving with products like Uniswap’s StablePair hook. If adopted, the rules could reshape how stablecoin users in Thailand move funds and set a template for other jurisdictions weighing similar limits. The SEC is collecting feedback before finalizing the framework, with the consultation period now under way, and the outcome will be closely watched by exchanges and issuers operating in the region.
Thailand’s regulatory direction
Thailand has been among the more active jurisdictions in crypto regulation, having already introduced licensing requirements for digital-asset businesses and warnings around unregulated platforms. The stablecoin consultation builds on that foundation, extending oversight to the payment rails that are increasingly used for remittances and everyday transactions. Regulators elsewhere in Southeast Asia are watching closely, as Thailand’s approach could influence regional standards and set expectations for how stablecoin issuers and exchanges will need to operate across the region.
