Share this article
Thailand SEC Reveals Date for Enacting ICO Licensing Rule
After a months-long process that saw public hearings and legislative debates, Thailand regulators said a rule on ICOs will take effect this month.
By Wolfie Zhao
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:08 a.m. Published Jul 5, 2018, 9:30 a.m.
Thailand's financial market regulator has said a new rule governing local initial coin offerings (ICO) will take effect on July 16.
The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an announcement on Wednesday that outlines when the new rule kicks in, making Thailand one of the first countries to allow ICOs in a regulated environment. The SEC said under the new regulatory framework, any entity seeking to conduct an ICO must first file an application for approval with the regulator.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
But instead of directly screening applications from individual ICO projects, the SEC will first evaluate filings submitted by so-called "ICO portals," which are online marketplaces where potential ICO organizers can operate their token sales.
The SEC said those approved ICO portals will be responsible for screening projects, after which the applications of those selected projects will then be considered.
As previously reported by CoinDesk, the new law is a result of a months-long process that saw public hearings and legislative debates regarding how to regulate cryptocurrency and ICOs in the country. A royal decree on the matter was initially announced in May.
The SEC said ICO portal applicants must be registered businesses in Thailand with a minimum registered capital of 5 million baht, or $150,000. These portals must have adequate resources to evaluate an ICO issuer's business plan, project structure, technical capacity, and source code, according to officials.
In addition, the SEC said only Thai baht and seven cryptocurrencies can be accepted in token sales, including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ethereum, ethereum classic, litecoin, XRP, and lumens.
Thai baht image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Robinhood Stock Slides 8% After Big Decline in November Trading Volumes
Slumps across equity, options and crypto trading in November raised concerns that retail investor momentum may be fading.
What to know:
- Robinhood reported a sharp drop in trading volumes across equities, options and crypto in November.
- The company's total platform assets also fell 5% month-over-month to $325 billion.
- The slowdown in trading activity raised investor concerns that retail engagement may be fading heading into year-end.
Top Stories
