Thailand has announced a five-year exemption on capital gains tax for crypto transactions, aiming to boost tax revenue and position the country as a global digital asset hub.
Thailand’s Ministry of Finance has approved a new tax measure aimed at promoting the country as a global digital asset hub. Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat announced on Jun. 17 that the measure will exempt personal income tax on capital gains from the sale of digital assets made through licensed digital asset businesses — including exchanges, brokers, and dealers — under the 2018 Royal Decree on Digital Asset Businesses. This exemption will apply from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2029.
Julapun stated that this tax reform is expected to boost the domestic digital asset market and related sectors, contributing to economic growth and generating at least 1 billion baht in medium-term tax revenue.
He added that the measure promotes transparent and traceable digital asset trading through entities overseen by the Anti-Money Laundering Office, following international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force. Additionally, Thailand’s Revenue Department is working on adopting the OECD’s system for automatically sharing digital asset information with other countries, which will make transactions even more transparent.
The development follows Thailand’s recent regulatory crackdown, which saw several global crypto exchanges— including Bybit, OKX, CoinEx, XT.COM, and — blocked due to the lack of local licenses, effective from June 28. This move aligns with the country’s broader effort to promote crypto trading within a regulated framework overseen by the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission.
On the other hand, crypto exchange KuCoin has taken a compliant route, launching a fully regulated local subsidiary in Thailand after securing an SEC license last Friday, joining a competitive field that includes eight other licensed exchanges.
Thailand’s crypto sector is among the most active in Southeast Asia, fueled by progressive regulation— now bolstered by the 5-year capital gains tax exemption — and growing adoption, most notably a recent pilot program allowing tourists to make payments with crypto.
By exempting capital gains on crypto income, Thailand joins a group of offshore jurisdictions—including the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, and the Bahamas—that already do not levy capital gains tax on cryptocurrency. Similarly, countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates also provide capital gains tax exemptions for individual crypto investors.
In Europe, residents of countries like Germany and Portugal can avoid paying capital gains tax altogether, provided they hold their cryptocurrencies for over a year.
