Tourists arriving in Thailand will soon be able to convert their digital assets into baht for everyday spending under the new Tourist DigiPay programme, as authorities move to take advantage of the upcoming peak travel season.
The initiative is jointly developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bank of Thailand, and Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo). It introduces a regulated digital payment system allowing foreign visitors to exchange cryptocurrencies and other digital assets into Thai baht for use during their stay.
Officials say the project aims to support the tourism sector while maintaining strict anti-money-laundering (AML) controls. According to the SEC’s Digital Asset Policy Department, tourists will be allowed to top up their wallets with up to 500,000 baht per month per account.
“The project will provide an alternative payment option for foreign travellers and promotes wider use of digital innovation in the Thai economy,” the regulator said, adding that the rollout includes robust risk-management and AML mechanisms to prevent misuse of cryptocurrencies or grey digital assets.
Nirun Fuwattananukul, chief executive of Binance TH by Gulf Binance, described the plan as a forward-looking initiative that highlights Thailand’s readiness to embrace new financial technologies.
He said that while many countries are now exploring crypto payments, Thailand’s regulatory sandbox approach, converting digital assets into baht under clear rules, demonstrates a balanced and compliant model.
“As one of the world’s top tourist destinations with advanced digital infrastructure, Thailand is the perfect testbed for this project. Only by experimenting in real-world settings can we truly understand the risks and learn how to mitigate them effectively,” he said.
Mr. Nirun said the SEC, central bank and Amlo have already introduced several layers of protection to prevent money-laundering and other illegal financial activity.
The Process
Participation begins with mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) checks for all licensed digital-asset and e-money service providers. These procedures verify each user’s identity and the purpose of their transactions through documentation and biometric data, in compliance with Amlo’s risk standards.
Once verified, tourists can open two linked wallets, a digital-asset wallet and a tourist e-money wallet, allowing for quick, transparent conversion of crypto into baht.
According to the SEC, digital-asset operators must also deploy blockchain forensic tools to monitor transaction histories, flag suspicious wallets, and identify links to illicit or high-risk activities.
Spending limits have been introduced to align with typical tourist behaviour. Payments via PromptPay QR codes are capped at 500,000 baht per month for merchant accounts and 50,000 baht for small vendors using personal QR codes.
“These caps are consistent with the average spending pattern of international tourists, which is roughly 5,000 baht a day, and will ensure funds are used only for legitimate tourism-related activities,” noted the regulator.
The SEC said Tourist DigiPay will not be accepted at high-risk businesses such as gold or jewellery stores, amulet or antique shops, casinos, or entertainment venues, all of which are already closely monitored under Thailand’s anti-money-laundering framework.
If travellers still have money left in their e-wallets when leaving Thailand, the balance must be converted back into digital assets via the same licensed provider used at the start. Refunds cannot exceed the original amount exchanged into baht.
The pilot phase of the programme is expected to run for 18 months.
“The scheme will support and strengthen the competitiveness of local small businesses and merchants, while fostering broader adoption of regulated digital finance by ensuring the platform does not become a channel for illicit money flows,” said the SEC.
