Overview

• The Tourist Wallet went live on August 18, letting temporary foreign visitors fund baht balances via cash deposits, foreign cards or bank transfers for QR code payments.
• Participation is limited to short-term tourists who must complete passport-based KYC and AML checks with licensed digital-asset and e-money providers under multi-agency oversight.
• Although some outlets reported live crypto conversion, the SEC and other regulators say the feature remains in the sandbox and unavailable until testing concludes.
• Monthly spending caps are set at 500,000 baht for larger merchants and 50,000 baht for smaller vendors, and cash withdrawals are prohibited until account redemption on departure.
• Officials hope the programme will boost tourist spending after softer arrivals, particularly from China, by offering an alternative to cash and cards within a tightly controlled framework.