Thailand’s central bank and Securities and Exchange Commission have launched a joint review of high-value USDT transactions, escalating scrutiny of stablecoin flows that regulators believe may be used to conceal ownership, bypass normal remittance channels or move funds through grey-market networks.
The Bank of Thailand and the Thai SEC are examining large stablecoin transactions, particularly those involving Tether’s USDT, according to market reports. The review is expected to expand in the fourth quarter of 2026 and will sit alongside new rules requiring proof of funds for large cash deposits above 5 million baht, or roughly $150,000.
The probe reflects growing concern that stablecoins are being used as a shadow settlement layer for high-value transfers that would otherwise pass through banks, licensed remittance providers or regulated exchanges. USDT is the world’s largest stablecoin and is widely used across Asian crypto markets because of its liquidity, dollar peg and availability on multiple blockchains.
For Thailand, the issue is not only crypto trading. Regulators are increasingly focused on how digital assets can interact with cash deposits, nominee accounts, foreign sellers and online fraud networks. The Bank of Thailand has already been stepping up scrutiny of suspicious financial activity as Southeast Asia faces a surge in scam compounds, mule accounts and cross-border laundering operations.
Stablecoins Face AML Scrutiny
The Thai review highlights the central role stablecoins now play in illicit-finance monitoring. USDT can move quickly across exchanges, wallets and over-the-counter brokers, giving users a dollar-denominated instrument that is faster than bank transfers and easier to route across borders. Those features make stablecoins useful for legitimate trading and remittances, but they also create risks for anti-money-laundering enforcement.
Authorities are reportedly concerned that large USDT transactions may be used to hide beneficial ownership or avoid conventional remittance rules. That concern is especially relevant in markets where cash-based activity, informal money brokers and cross-border commerce overlap with crypto liquidity. When funds enter the system through large cash deposits and later move into stablecoins, tracing the original source of funds becomes more difficult.
The planned cash-deposit rule is therefore an important part of the regulatory response. Requiring proof of funds above 5 million baht would give banks and authorities more visibility into large cash movements before those funds can be converted into digital assets or transferred offshore. It also shifts more responsibility onto financial institutions to verify customers’ sources of wealth and flag unusual activity.
The probe does not mean Thailand is banning stablecoins or crypto trading. Instead, it suggests regulators are trying to narrow the gap between traditional banking rules and crypto settlement practices. Stablecoins are increasingly treated as part of the financial system’s liquidity infrastructure, and that means they are becoming subject to closer supervision.
Thailand Tightens Crypto Oversight
Thailand has long been one of Southeast Asia’s more active crypto markets, but regulators have taken a cautious approach to investor protection, exchange licensing and payments risk. The country has allowed regulated digital asset businesses to operate, while restricting the use of crypto for payments and tightening rules around advertising, custody and exchange conduct.
The latest USDT review adds an anti-money-laundering dimension to that framework. It follows broader regional concern over scam networks that use bank mule accounts, informal brokers and crypto wallets to move proceeds from fraud. Reuters reported last year that Thailand’s central bank was increasing supervision of banks, money-transfer agents, currency exchanges and gold transactions to combat scams and suspicious financial activity.
For stablecoin issuers and exchanges, the message is clear. Liquidity alone will not be enough to maintain market access. Regulators are likely to demand better transaction monitoring, proof-of-funds checks, customer due diligence and cooperation with law enforcement, especially for large USDT flows.
The market impact is unlikely to be immediate for USDT’s peg or global stablecoin liquidity, but the regulatory signal is important. Thailand is treating high-value stablecoin activity as a financial-crime risk, not just a crypto-market issue. That could influence other Asian regulators watching the same channels of dollarized crypto liquidity.
For users and businesses, the practical effect may be more documentation, slower large transfers and tighter controls around cash-to-crypto conversion. For regulators, the challenge is balancing legitimate stablecoin use with the need to prevent hidden ownership, sanctions evasion, fraud proceeds and unlicensed remittance activity.
Thailand’s probe shows that stablecoins are entering a more mature regulatory phase. As USDT becomes embedded in regional finance, authorities are no longer asking whether stablecoins matter. They are asking who controls the money, where it came from and whether it is moving outside the regulated financial perimeter.
