Thailand has approved the trading of digital asset derivative contracts as it vies for investment flows in a region that is rapidly upgrading financial structures to meet the growing appetite for regulated virtual assets.
Thailand Greenlights Digital Asset Derivatives to Capture New Investment Flows
12 February 2026 - 10:52 CET
By Sandmark staff
The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a 10 Feb English version of a statement that it was expanding the Derivatives Act to include "new forms of goods and variables," such as digital assets, which can serve as underlying products.
Seeking new investors
Thailand’s Cabinet approved the derivatives market expansion proposal on 10 Feb following the submission by the Ministry of Finance.
The SEC said it would be developing regulatory requirements to support related business activities, including amendments to derivatives business licences to allow business operators to offer derivative contracts based on digital assets.
"This development will help promote more inclusive market growth, facilitate diversification and more effective risk management, and expand investment opportunities for a broader range of investors," said Pornanong Budsaratragoon, SEC Secretary-General.
Staying competitive
Also in the works is a review of the licensing framework and supervisory requirements for the derivatives exchange and derivatives clearinghouse "to ensure their suitability for new types of underlying products," the statement said.
The reforms under the Futures Trading Act would pave the way for investors to use hedging and risk management tools without losing a competitive edge to offshore hubs.
Thailand is one of the world’s most active digital asset markets, with adoption led by retail investors. It ranked 17th globally in the Chainalysis 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, and an estimated 18% of the Thai population own or use cryptocurrencies, according to Statista research.
Stock exchange roadmap
The addition of the new financial products is part of a three-year strategic roadmap for the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). It has established Thai Digital Exchange (TDX), which operates as a regulated secondary market for digital tokens, supervised by the SEC.
Like its Asian-Pacific neighbours, Thailand has ambitions to become a regional digital asset centre, and is seeking to attract global liquidity through a regulated crypto futures and exchange-traded funds market.
The SEC also said that it was classifying carbon credits as goods, rather than variables. This would allow the introduction of physically delivered futures contracts, in addition to cash-settled contracts, through the derivatives exchange regulated under the Derivatives Act.
