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Thailand Audits Large Tether Trades and Will Require Source Checks on Big Cash Deposits

Regulators say the move is meant to trace hidden owners who use stablecoins to bypass official remittance channels.

Overview

  • The Bank of Thailand and the Securities and Exchange Commission opened a joint audit of high‑volume USDT (Tether) transactions following a July 11 announcement by Governor Vitai Ratanakorn.
  • Banks will be required to verify the source of cash for deposits of 5 million baht or more under rules set to take effect in the fourth quarter of 2026.
  • The audit focuses on tracing beneficial ownership and detecting trades that may route value outside domestic remittance channels or use mule accounts and over‑the‑counter flows.
  • Earlier April measures that checked large cash withdrawals cut high‑value cash withdrawals by about 35% and caused physical gold withdrawals to fall from roughly 4,000 kg to about 700 kg.
  • The actions complete a policy cycle that opened USDT and USDC to licensed Thai exchanges in March 2025 while tightening rules to push activity onto regulated rails and reduce offshore or shadow flows.