The Bank of Thailand (BoT) explained that the abnormal cash withdrawal transactions in September 2025 were due to public concerns over the freezing of mule accounts. The BoT affirmed its readiness to closely monitor cash withdrawals during the election period.
On 11 Jan 2026 GMT+7, responding to reports of unusually high cash withdrawals in September 2025, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) clarified that this was caused by concerns about the expansion of the mule account freezing measures. This led people to withdraw cash for holding and spending instead of conducting transactions via online accounts. Additionally, many merchants increased their acceptance of cash payments during this period. This situation was short-lived, and payment behavior returned to normal by October.
Regarding managing potentially abnormal increases in cash volume during the upcoming election, the BoT is continuously and closely monitoring the situation. It will manage cash reserves to remain close to the same period last year to meet the genuine spending needs of the public, including the usual increase in cash demand during the Chinese New Year festival. The BoT has also coordinated with commercial banks to strictly monitor unusual cash withdrawals and report to the BoT accordingly.