"Dr. Prem" has submitted a motion to the Economic Commission questioning why the Bank of Thailand lacks data on crypto trading, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports monthly trading exceeding 100 billion baht. USDT holds over half the market share, raising concerns it serves as a money laundering channel that artificially strengthens the baht, harming exports and tourism.
19 Jan 2026 GMT+7 Dr. Prem Sak Piyura, a Senator (Senate member). He disclosed at the parliament that he had submitted a motion to Mr. Kamphon Supapaeng, a Senator and chairman of the Senate's Economic, Finance, and Fiscal Affairs Committee, to have the committee examine the issue of abnormal baht appreciation. Mr. Kamphon considered it a beneficial issue for the country's economic system and will invite relevant parties to clarify the facts at a committee meeting on 20 January. Dr. Prem will join the meeting as the motion's proposer.
This follows capital market academics questioning why the Bank of Thailand lacks data on domestic digital asset trading, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports that domestic digital asset trading averages over 100 billion baht monthly. The trading patterns do not follow normal speculative behavior; highly volatile coins like Bitcoin rank second in daily trading volume, accounting for less than 20%.
Meanwhile, USDT, a Stablecoin pegged closely to the US dollar, has the highest trading volume. The latest November 2025 SEC report shows USDT accounts for 52% of trading volume, while Bitcoin accounts for only 19%. This aligns with capital market suspicions that Thailand's digital asset trading platforms may be used for money laundering by scammers, online gambling operators, and gray market businesses. Illegal funds are converted into USDT, which is equivalent to US dollars, then exchanged for baht and conveniently transferred abroad.
Dr. Prem added that this process injects massive funds into Thailand's foreign exchange system, causing abnormal baht appreciation without clear sources of funds. He urged the Bank of Thailand to promptly address this issue by establishing a clear and stringent reporting system for digital asset inflows and outflows, following standards used by central banks in many countries to protect the country's financial stability.
Furthermore, the impact of the strong baht extends beyond the foreign exchange market, making Thailand's costs higher compared to competitors like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan. This pressures the export, agricultural, and tourism sectors, which are vital to the Thai economy. For these reasons, he proposed the motion for the committee to consider the abnormal baht appreciation issue affecting the broader economy and invited the Bank of Thailand, SEC, Anti-Money Laundering Office, and Bitkub Online Co., Ltd. to provide clarifications on this matter.