Thailand Opens Door to Crypto and Carbon Credits as Derivatives Underlyings

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Thailand’s cabinet has signed off on a Finance Ministry proposal that clears the path for digital assets to be recognized as valid underlying assets in the nation’s derivatives markets.

The approval, announced on Tuesday, marks a deliberate effort to drag the country’s derivatives framework into step with global norms, boost regulatory scrutiny, and elevate investor safeguards. It also underscores a broader ambition: to transform Thailand into a regional hub for institutional digital asset trading, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

Under the updated regime, the Securities and Exchange Commission will amend the Derivatives Act to accommodate expanded asset classes. These will now include Bitcoin alongside carbon credits.

Nirun Fuwattananukul, chief executive of Binance Thailand, called the development a “watershed moment” for domestic capital markets. He stressed that formal recognition of digital assets signals an official acknowledgment that cryptocurrencies and digital tokens have evolved beyond speculative tools into a structural force with the capacity to reshape capital market foundations.