Overview
- The Supreme Court's full-bench ruling Wednesday formally classified Bitcoin as property under Sections 137–138 of the Civil and Commercial Code.
- The decision upholds convictions in a September 2022 Koh Samui case where five foreign nationals forced a tourist to transfer 2.480801 BTC and were given 10-year prison terms with an order to return the coins or pay the cash equivalent.
- Judges based the ruling on three findings: Bitcoin exists as defined data on a network, it has measurable market value convertible to cash, and it can be possessed and transferred between people.
- Because the judgment was issued by a full bench it creates binding precedent for lower courts and extends a 2025 decision that treated Bitcoin as movable property in an embezzlement case.
- The ruling strengthens legal remedies for victims by allowing restitution in kind or cash but stops short of making Bitcoin legal tender and leaves the legal status of other tokens unresolved.