Thailand SEC Speeds Digital-Asset Push, Advances Bitcoin and Ether ETF Plans

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission is accelerating efforts to bring more of the digital-asset market into the regulatory mainstream, including stablecoins, security tokens and crypto exchange-traded funds. The regulator also wants digital assets recognized as a new asset class and plans to build out on-chain financial infrastructure.

Butree Vangsirirungruang, a director at the Thailand SEC, said in a keynote address at Southeast Asia Blockchain Week 2026 on May 20 at Bangkok’s Iconsiam that supporting digital technology and the digital-asset industry is one of the regulator’s core strategies over the next three years.

He said the Thai government is actively pushing tokenization of real-world assets and the development of on-chain financial infrastructure. The SEC is discussing security-token issuance projects with multiple financial institutions and is also operating a sandbox program.

The regulator plans to expand on-chain issuance and real-time settlement systems to improve financial access and liquidity. It is also reviewing a range of digital payment structures, including stablecoins, tokenized deposits and e-money tokens.

Thailand’s SEC is also moving to broaden crypto investment products. Spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs could launch in the third quarter of this year, while authorities are also working to formalize the crypto futures market.

The first single-asset crypto ETFs tied to Bitcoin and Ether may debut in the third quarter, Butree said. Digital assets will become an asset class accessible to investors, he added.

At the same time, he emphasized stronger anti-money laundering safeguards and investor protection. Thailand’s SEC is tightening know-your-customer requirements and suspicious transaction monitoring for crypto businesses, and plans to expand oversight of unauthorized overseas platforms.

The growth of the digital-asset industry and investor protection must go hand in hand, Butree said. The regulator also plans to strengthen its market surveillance framework using AI technology to bolster trust in the digital-asset market.