Thailand adopts crypto Travel Rule with self-custodial wallet checks

Thailand is tightening oversight of crypto transfers, including transactions involving self-custodial wallets, as it moves to align with global Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards.Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new Travel Rule regulations requiring digital asset operators to collect information about parties involved in crypto transfers, the regulator announced Wednesday.The rules will take effect on Feb. 27, 2027, giving crypto businesses nearly six months to develop systems for transmitting, receiving and monitoring transaction information.Thailand joins a growing global push to track who sends and receives crypto, as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) estimated that 83% of surveyed jurisdictions had passed Travel Rule legislation as of 2026.Self-custodial wallets face ownership checksUnder the new framework, Thai digital asset operators must verify the ownership or control of self-hosted, or self-custodial, wallets when customers send crypto to or receive it from those wallets.Unlike wallets managed by centralized exchanges (CEXs) or custodians, self-custodial wallets give users direct control over the private keys needed to access their crypto....