Thailand’s SEC Moves to Introduce Travel Rule for Digital Asset Transfers as Part of AML Push

Key Takeaways

• Travel Rule Consultation: Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a public consultation on proposed Travel Rule requirements for digital asset transfers.
• Transaction Data Requirements: Digital asset operators would be required to collect and transmit transaction, originator, beneficiary, and counterparty information to support AML verification and monitoring.
• Five-Year Record Retention: The proposal requires operators to retain information accompanying digital asset transfer transactions for at least five years.
• Coordination With AML Authorities: The initiative follows collaboration with Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office, which is preparing regulations under the Anti-Money-Laundering Act.
• Targeting Technology-Related Crime: Regulators say the rules are intended to improve asset tracing, support investigations, and reduce the misuse of digital assets in technology-enabled financial crime.

Deep Dive

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission is attempting to tighten oversight of digital asset transfers, opening a public consultation on proposed “Travel Rule” requirements that would require digital asset businesses to collect and transmit detailed transaction information.

The initiative, announced Tuesday, is aimed at strengthening anti-money-laundering controls in the country’s digital asset sector while aligning regulatory expectations with international standards.

If adopted, the proposal would require digital asset business operators to ensure that key information accompanies digital asset transfers, allowing regulators and financial institutions to verify transactions and monitor potential risks tied to financial crime.

Building Transparency Into Digital Asset Transfers

At the center of the proposal is a requirement for digital asset operators to establish clear policies and procedures governing the collection and transmission of information tied to digital asset transfers carried out on behalf of customers.

Under the framework, operators would need to collect transaction data along with identifying information about customers and their counterparties. The information would support AML verification and broader risk management efforts aimed at detecting suspicious activity.

Operators would also be required to retain records associated with digital asset transfers for at least five years.

The proposal further states that when a digital asset transfer is initiated, the ordering operator must transmit the transfer order together with relevant transaction details, including information about both the originator and the beneficiary, to the receiving digital asset operator.

In addition, operators would be expected to implement risk management measures governing both the sending and receiving of digital asset transfers.

Efforts to Combat Technology-Related Crime

The SEC said the proposal forms part of a broader push by Thai authorities to strengthen their ability to monitor suspicious financial activity tied to emerging technologies.

The regulator has been working with public and private sector partners to improve oversight of financial data connectivity and suspicious transaction monitoring. During a January 2026 meeting of the Subcommittee on Financial Data Connectivity for Enhancing the Monitoring of Suspicious Financial Transactions, officials agreed that the SEC would issue interim guidance for digital asset operators while Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office prepares regulations under the Anti-Money-Laundering Act.

SEC Secretary-General Pornanong Budsaratragoon said the proposed framework would help ensure that digital asset operators have the information needed to detect and prevent illicit use of digital assets.

“This initiative will enable digital asset business operators to obtain the necessary information for verifying and preventing the misuse of digital assets in technology-related crimes, enhance the effectiveness of asset tracing and recovery, and help prevent the use of the digital asset market as a channel for money laundering activities in line with international standards,” she said.

She added that the proposal also reflects the SEC’s broader strategy of strengthening oversight of financial intermediaries before harm occurs.

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