meta_id 3418303

On August 19, 2026, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) launched a public consultation on revised principles for licensing money changers, a category of authorised business operators engaged in foreign currency exchange. The consultation period runs until September 18, 2026, allowing stakeholders 30 days to submit comments and recommendations on the proposed amendments. The BOT is upgrading its regulatory framework for money changers to align with evolving business risk levels and prevent the sector from being exploited for financial crime or money laundering. The revised standards will introduce significant changes to licensing requirements, including minimum registered capital, branch management protocols, operational system standards, and customer transaction limits. All currently licensed money changers must comply with the new standards and submit compliance documentation by the end of 2027 for case-by-case review by the BOT before continuing operations under the upgraded framework. The BOT has designated 2027 as the transition period for assessing and upgrading existing operators and preparing regulatory systems to support the new standards. New applicants seeking to operate as money changers in 2027 must submit licence applications by the end of 2026 to enter the upgraded process. The BOT will reopen applications for new operators once the regulatory system upgrade is complete in 2028. Stakeholders can submit feedback through the BOT website or the central legal system portal. For additional information, contact the BOT's Foreign Exchange Policy and Supervision Division at fog_ecst@bot.or.th, telephone 0 2356 7848 or 0 2356 7858.