Thailand Plans Crypto Credit Cards for Tourists and Bold Market Reforms

🛬 Thailand Wants Tourists Spending Crypto — Without Vendors Even Noticing

Thailand just flipped the playbook on crypto adoption.

At the Dailynews Talk 2025 forum, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira unveiled a new pilot: foreign tourists will soon be able to spend crypto via credit cards, with merchants receiving Thai baht — no need for wallets, QR codes, or awkward explanations.

The magic? Merchants won’t even know it was crypto.

“In other countries, merchants just receive local currency. Thailand can do that too. The tech is ready,” Pichai said.

Expect the test run soon, coordinated with the Bank of Thailand. If successful, this could position Thailand as the first major tourism economy to normalize crypto-spending.

🔄 From Stocks to Stablecoins: Thailand’s Financial Merge

But crypto credit cards are just the surface.

Pichai also dropped a bombshell: Thailand plans to merge its traditional stock market and digital asset markets under one legal framework.

Right now:

• 📈 Securities = Regulated under the Securities and Exchange Act
• 💻 Crypto = Regulated under the Digital Asset Emergency Decree

This split is outdated, Pichai says.

“It’s basically the same investors in both markets. We need one seamless platform.”

The goal? Unified KYC, seamless capital movement, and one interface for stocks, tokens, ETFs, and more.

⚖️ Crackdown Mode: Short Selling and Market Abuse in the Crosshairs

Thailand isn’t just opening the gates. It’s also tightening the rules.

New reforms will:

• Target short selling and market manipulation
• Grant prosecutors more authority to investigate and prosecute
• Align Thai law with global investor protection standards

In short: fewer pump-and-dumps, more institutional trust.

🏦 Institutional Investors Could Soon Join the Party

Right now, Thai pension and insurance funds manage hundreds of billions — but can barely touch equities.

Pichai wants to rethink that.

The proposed rule change? Let them allocate capital into sustainable stocks and green finance, not just government bonds.

This move could unleash a massive liquidity boost for the Thai Stock Exchange — and potentially for tokenized asset markets down the line.

🇹🇭 From G-Tokens to Global Standards

This isn’t Thailand’s first crypto experiment.

In 2024, the government issued a “G-Token” — a state-backed investment token. Now they’re pushing beyond controlled environments into real-world crypto spending, tourist engagement, and cross-market capital fluidity.

“All these changes are aligned with our national strategy to build a digital-first economy,” Pichai said.

Thailand’s crypto stance? Less speculation, more infrastructure.

🧠 TL;DR: Thailand Is Building a Seamless Crypto-Real World Economy

• 💳 Tourists will soon use crypto-linked credit cards, merchants get baht
• 🧾 Pichai plans to merge stock and crypto markets under one legal system
• 🛡️ New laws will crack down on short selling and abuse
• 🏦 Pension funds may finally be allowed to invest in the stock market
• 🌍 Thailand is positioning itself as a crypto-fintech hub for tourists and investors alike

This isn’t just crypto adoption. It’s a full-system redesign. Welcome to Web3, Thai edition.