Is peer to peer crypto trading legal in Thailand?
Buying and selling crypto in Thailand is legal through SEC licensed exchanges, but informal peer to peer trading is restricted. Royal Decrees that took effect on 13 April 2025 target unlicensed and foreign peer to peer services, and running or facilitating such a service can carry imprisonment of up to three years and fines of up to 300,000 baht.
The rules in detail
Buying and selling crypto in Thailand is legal when it is done through an exchange, broker, or dealer licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand (SEC) under the Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Businesses of 2018. Informal peer to peer trading, where two people deal directly or through an unlicensed service, is treated differently and has become more tightly restricted.
As of February 2026, two Royal Decrees that took effect on 13 April 2025 strengthened the rules against unlicensed and foreign peer to peer crypto services as part of a wider push against online financial crime and money mule networks. Operating or facilitating such a service can carry imprisonment of up to three years and fines of up to 300,000 baht. The measures focus on people who run or enable peer to peer services rather than on a single private transfer, but using unlicensed peer to peer channels still places you outside SEC supervision and exposes you to fraud and legal risk.
Because peer to peer activity happens off licensed venues, it does not carry the consumer protections of a supervised exchange. The Bank of Thailand has also stated that digital assets are not legal tender, so crypto cannot be required as payment in place of the baht.
Tax
Thailand exempts personal capital gains from digital asset disposals from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029, but only where the sale goes through an SEC licensed exchange, broker, or dealer, under Ministerial Regulation No. 399. As of February 2026, peer to peer disposals made outside licensed operators are unlikely to qualify and may remain assessable income. Verify your position with the Revenue Department before filing.
Compare available exchanges in Thailand
The compliant way to buy and sell crypto in Thailand is through an SEC licensed exchange rather than an unlicensed peer to peer service. Use the comparison to see which licensed platforms serve Thai residents.
Compare available exchanges in ThailandRegulator and sources
The regulator is the Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand (SEC), supported by the Bank of Thailand and the measures introduced by Royal Decree to combat online financial crime.
- Royal Decrees on measures against technology crime, effective 13 April 2025.
- Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Businesses, B.E. 2561 (2018).
- Ministerial Regulation No. 399, digital asset capital gains exemption, Royal Gazette, 2025.
- Baker McKenzie, A Complete Guide to Digital Asset Law in Thailand, 2025 edition.
Frequently asked questions
- Is peer to peer crypto trading legal in Thailand?
- Trading through SEC licensed exchanges is legal. Informal peer to peer trading is restricted, and Royal Decrees effective 13 April 2025 target unlicensed and foreign peer to peer services with criminal penalties.
- What are the penalties for running a peer to peer service?
- Operating or facilitating an unlicensed peer to peer crypto service can carry imprisonment of up to three years and fines of up to 300,000 baht under the 2025 measures.
- Can I send crypto to a friend in Thailand?
- A private transfer is not the same as running a service, but using unlicensed peer to peer channels places you outside SEC supervision and carries fraud and legal risk, so caution is advised.
- Do peer to peer gains qualify for the tax exemption?
- Generally no. The 2025 to 2029 exemption applies to disposals through licensed Thai operators, so peer to peer sales outside those venues may remain assessable income.
- What is the compliant way to trade crypto in Thailand?
- Use an SEC licensed exchange, broker, or dealer. That keeps you inside the supervised framework and can let qualifying disposals benefit from the tax exemption.