Crypto Clash: Thailand Cuts, Indonesia Hikes

Сhange your crypto zip code. Southeast Asia just split into two tax universes.

🔥 Quick Take

• 🇮🇩 Indonesia: Raises crypto taxes across the board — up to 1%
• 🇹🇭 Thailand: Scraps capital gains tax for crypto trades until 2029
• 💥 Regional divergence in full effect — and builders are watching

Indonesia’s New Crypto Tax Playbook

Starting August 1, 2025, Indonesia is coming for your crypto — with a more aggressive tax structure than ever before.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Domestic exchanges will see transaction taxes jump from 0.1% to 0.21%
• Foreign platforms get hit even harder: 1% per trade, up from 0.2%
• VAT for crypto buyers? Abolished (finally some relief)
• Miners? You’re now paying 2.2% VAT, double the previous rate
• That pesky 0.1% special income tax on crypto mining? Gone in 2026

Sounds like clarity? Yes. But also a cautionary tale.

Tokocrypto — Binance’s local partner — cautiously welcomed the move, calling it a “step toward recognizing crypto as a financial instrument.” But they’re also ringing the alarm: these rates are still steeper than in traditional finance.

What Tokocrypto wants:

• Breathing room: at least a month to adjust
• A crackdown on offshore exchanges
• Real tax incentives to keep innovation onshore

Meanwhile in Thailand: Tax-Free and Open for Business

Thailand is playing the long game. And it’s playing to win.

Starting January 1, 2025, Thailand is abolishing capital gains tax on crypto trades made on licensed platforms. That’s five years of zero tax on crypto profits — no strings, no catches.

The message is loud and clear:

“We’re building a world hub for digital assets,” said Deputy Finance Minister Chulaphan Amornvivat. “This tax reform is our signal to the world.”

Thailand’s bet? If you give builders a runway, they’ll take off. Officials expect to more than make up the shortfall through increased VAT revenue, market activity, and international investment.

The Big Picture: A Regional Crypto Split

Two countries. Two strategies. Two radically different outcomes.

Indonesia is moving to control and capture, hoping to formalize crypto inside its tax grid. But the rising cost could drive traders to:

• Unregulated platforms
• Decentralized exchanges
• Or across the border, straight into Bangkok

Thailand is going full-send on crypto innovation, offering clarity and breathing room for both startups and institutions. With zero tax, friendly regulation, and a growing ecosystem, it’s quickly becoming the Singapore alternative — with a warmer beach.

Why It Matters

• 🌍 Capital flows are fast and borderless — and crypto founders know it
• 🛑 Indonesia’s model could backfire, pushing users offshore
• 🚀 Thailand is positioning itself as Asia’s next digital finance HQ
• 📉 These choices won’t just impact policy — they’ll shape entire ecosystems

This isn’t just a regulatory decision. It’s a fork in the road. And Thailand? It just became the shortcut.

TL;DR

• Indonesia: Tax hike on crypto trades and mining kicks in August 1
• Thailand: Zero capital gains tax for crypto until 2029
• Crypto exchanges brace for impact — or relocate
• Asia’s regulatory war just got real
• Thailand is winning hearts, minds, and wallets