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In Bitcoin ETF news today, Thailand’s SEC has opened a public consultation on draft rules that would allow asset managers to list spot BTC and ETH ETFs directly on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, giving everyday investors a regulated, exchange-traded route into crypto rather than requiring a private wallet or an offshore broker. The regulator confirmed the move in an August 24 notice, and comments on the proposal remain open until September 20, 2026, according to Thailand’s SEC.
Under the draft framework, each Thailand crypto ETF would be a passive, single-asset fund tracking either Bitcoin or Ethereum, with a requirement to maintain average net exposure of at least 80% of net asset value to its underlying coin across each accounting year.
JUST IN:
Thailand’s SEC officially proposes regulations to introduce Bitcoin and crypto ETFs
“The proposals aim to broaden investment opportunities for investors…and establish consistent standards for the offshore custody of digital assets”
pic.twitter.com/CUdYuclara
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) August 25, 2026
In practice, that means a Bitcoin ETF must remain meaningfully invested in actual Bitcoin rather than in derivatives or cash substitutes, and the same rule applies to any Ethereum ETF built under the framework.
Both products would trade exclusively on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, with Thai mutual funds and private funds also permitted to buy into these domestic vehicles alongside the foreign-issued crypto ETFs they can already hold, subject to existing investment limits.
Bitcoin ETF News: What Changed Since the April Custody Debate
This is not the SEC’s first pass at the idea. The regulator first floated crypto ETF principles earlier in 2026 and held a public hearing between April and May, during which most respondents supported the overall framework but pushed back on how custody would be implemented.
The revised draft keeps onshore digital-asset custodians as the default option for holding fund assets, but gives the SEC discretion to approve qualified foreign custodians “when necessary and appropriate in light of prevailing circumstances.”
Any foreign custodian would first need to obtain licensing in its home jurisdiction from a regulator with real enforcement authority, and Thai officials would still need to sign off on the investor-protection standards meeting local benchmarks, per the SEC’s notice.
Alternative products tied to overseas crypto ETFs, such as depositary receipts, are explicitly excluded from this initial phase.
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This is a Consultation, Not a Crypto ETF Approval
Bitcoin and Ethereum are getting closer to another major investment channel in Thailand
If approved, spot ETFs could bring more traditional capital into crypto.
Bullish for adoption pic.twitter.com/8dxTbnN52n
— Moby Media (@mobymedia) August 25, 2026
It’s worth being precise about where this sits in the process: no Thailand crypto ETF has been approved, and no listing date has been set.
The SEC still needs to collect feedback through September 20, revise the draft, and then decide whether to move forward with formal rulemaking, a sequence that typically takes months rather than weeks in most jurisdictions.
Thailand already has some history here. In June 2024, the SEC cleared a Bitcoin fund structured as a fund-of-funds product for wealthy and institutional investors only, offering indirect exposure through a basket of overseas vehicles rather than direct spot holdings.
The current proposal is a different animal: a locally domiciled, retail-accessible spot structure modeled more closely on the products that have driven spot Bitcoin ETF inflows in the US since 2024.
The timing lines up with a broader regulatory push in the country. Thailand has separately moved to formalize crypto tax treatment on licensed platforms, part of an effort to pull trading activity into supervised channels rather than offshore exchanges.
If the ETF framework clears its remaining hurdles, it would put Thailand among a small group of Asian markets offering retail investors direct, exchange-listed exposure to Bitcoin and Ether, rather than restricting it to accredited or institutional accounts.
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The post South East Asia ETF Shock Inbound? Thailand Weighs Direct BTC and ETH ETF Listings appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
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