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October 2026 · 4 min read

Thailand's Travel Rule for crypto transfers: where the SEC and AMLO meet

From 27 February 2027, every crypto transfer by a Thai digital asset operator must carry information on who sent it and who receives it. The SEC wrote the rule with AMLO, as an interim measure until AMLO issues its own under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Last reviewed

1

What happened

On 2 September 2026 the SEC announced Notification No. Sor Thor. 9/2026 of 25 August 2026, on risk management measures for transferring and receiving digital assets — the Travel Rule for Digital Assets (SEC news no. 179/2026). It applies to digital asset business operators and takes effect on 27 February 2027.

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What the rule requires

  • Information travels with the transfer. The ordering operator sends information on the originator and the beneficiary to the receiving operator together with the transfer order.
  • Know the platform on the other side. Operators check the qualifications of the counterparty service provider; intermediary operators in the transfer route are covered too.
  • Self-hosted wallets. Before transferring to or receiving from a self-hosted wallet, operators verify ownership of, or control over, that wallet.
  • Five-year records. The information accompanying every transaction is kept for at least five years, in a form the supervisor can retrieve or examine promptly.
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Where it sits on the map

This is anti-money laundering work done through the SEC's rulebook. Digital asset businesses are already treated as financial institutions under the anti-money laundering law (Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Businesses, section 7), so customer due diligence and transaction reporting to AMLO already apply to them. The Travel Rule adds the information that moves with each transfer.

The SEC issued it with AMLO as an interim measure, while AMLO prepares its own regulations under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The SEC links it to international standards (FATF).

Figure 8 — Thailand's financial regulatory landscapeThe Ministry of Finance signs most financial licences. Three sector regulators recommend: the Bank of Thailand (banks, payments, supervised lending, foreign exchange), the SEC (securities, funds, digital assets) and the Office of Insurance Commission (insurance). AMLO's anti-money laundering duties and the PDPC's data protection rules apply across all of them.MOFMinistry of FinanceSigns most licencesHOW A LICENCE IS GRANTED1 The regulator assesses and recommends2 The Minister of Finance grantsSome approvals stay with the regulator (below)BOTBank of ThailandCommercial and virtual banksPayment and e-money servicesSupervised lendingMoney changers and transfer agentsDIRECTRegisters some payment servicesSECSecurities and ExchangeCommissionSecurities brokers, dealers, underwritersFund managers and investment advisorsDigital asset exchanges, brokers, dealersCustodial wallets, DA fund managersDIRECTApproves ICO portalsOICOffice of InsuranceCommissionLife insurersNon-life insurersInsurance agentsInsurance brokersDIRECTRegistrar licenses agents and brokersRECOMMENDSRECOMMENDSRECOMMENDSAPPLIES ACROSS EVERY ROWAMLOAnti-Money Laundering OfficeCustomer due diligence and transaction reporting for financial institutions and listed businessesPDPCPersonal Data Protection CommitteeThe PDPA applies to businesses that collect, use or disclose personal data — licensed or not
Figure 8 — Thailand's financial regulatory landscapeThe Ministry of Finance signs most financial licences. Three sector regulators recommend: the Bank of Thailand (banks, payments, supervised lending, foreign exchange), the SEC (securities, funds, digital assets) and the Office of Insurance Commission (insurance). AMLO's anti-money laundering duties and the PDPC's data protection rules apply across all of them.MOFMinistry of FinanceSigns most licences1 The regulator assesses and recommends2 The Minister of Finance grantsBOTBank of ThailandCommercial and virtual banksPayment and e-money servicesSupervised lendingMoney changers and transfer agentsDirect: Registers some payment servicesSECSecurities and ExchangeCommissionSecurities brokers, dealers, underwritersFund managers and investment advisorsDigital asset exchanges, brokers, dealersCustodial wallets, DA fund managersDirect: Approves ICO portalsOICOffice of Insurance CommissionLife insurersNon-life insurersInsurance agentsInsurance brokersDirect: Registrar licenses agents and brokersAPPLIES ACROSS EVERY ROWAMLOAnti-Money Laundering OfficeCustomer due diligence and transaction reportingfor financial institutions and listed businessesPDPCPersonal Data Protection CommitteeThe PDPA applies to businesses that collect, use ordisclose personal data — licensed or not

Figure 8Thailand's financial regulatory landscape — where the SEC meets AMLOThe regulator recommends; for most licence families the Minister of Finance signs. AMLO's duties and the PDPA apply across every row. As of October 2026. See the full map and table

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What it means if you are applying

  • Applicants for an exchange, broker, dealer or custodial wallet licence can show the Travel Rule in the systems they describe: the data fields, the counterparty check and the self-hosted wallet process.
  • Licensed operators have until 27 February 2027 to run the messaging, the counterparty checks and the five-year records.
  • A second rulebook is coming. The SEC describes its rule as interim; AMLO's own regulations under the Anti-Money Laundering Act are still to be issued.

The full map, the who-regulates-what table and every source are on the landscape page.

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Sources

  1. SEC news No. 179/2026 (2 Sep 2026): SEC issues Travel Rule for Digital Assets (Notification Sor Thor. 9/2026, effective 27 Feb 2027)
  2. Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Businesses, s. 7
  3. Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542 (consolidated), s. 3, 13, 20/1 (unofficial AMLO translation)
  4. AMLO — AML/CFT laws, policy and measures

Accessed and last reviewed . Each figure and table cell is traced to a source above.

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