Thailand's Central Bank Monitors USDT to Curb "Gray Money" Flows

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Release Time: 01/13/2026 15:33:28

USDT

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Summary

Thailand's central bank has added USDT (Tether) to its financial monitoring system to enhance anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) efforts. Local reports indicate that 40% of USDT sellers on Thai platforms are foreign traders, a practice the bank stated violates local regulations. Stablecoins are now subject to closer supervision, similar to cash, gold, and electronic wallets. This move follows a government directive issued on January 9 to tighten reporting requirements and wallet identification for digital assets and gold, with the central bank and tax authorities jointly enforcing the new rules.

BlockBeats news: On January 13, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) added the stablecoin USDT into its liquidity monitoring framework as part of its efforts to combat "gray money." According to local media reports, the central bank found that approximately 40% of USDT sellers on local Thai platforms were foreign traders, and such activities "should not be occurring in Thailand."

The central bank governor stated that stablecoins have been subjected to stricter scrutiny alongside cash transactions, gold trading, and fund flows from electronic wallets. Although the domestic cryptocurrency market is not large, it could be used for illegal or gray-market fund movements, potentially affecting macroeconomic stability in the long term.

This move follows instructions issued by the Thai government on January 9, requiring stricter reporting and wallet identification rules for digital asset and gold transactions. The related regulations are being jointly implemented by the central bank, tax authorities, and other agencies.

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