Thailandʼs Tourism Revival via TouristDigiPay: Crypto-to-Baht Pilot Ignites Fintech Innovation
●
●
Thailand is launching TouristDigiPay, an 18-month pilot (starting Q4 2025) that lets tourists convert crypto into baht via regulated e-wallets, with strict KYC checks and spending caps to curb money laundering. The program aims to revive tourism and boost spending, with officials estimating a potential 175bn baht economic lift if tourist outlays rise by just 10 percent
In response to a sharp downturn in tourism, Thailand has launched “TouristDigiPay,ˮ an 18-month pilot programme that enables foreign visitors to convert cryptocurrencies into Thai baht for seamless local spending. According to an announcement last Monday, August 18th, this financial innovation, set to begin in Q4 2025, operates within a tightly regulated sandbox involving the Ministry of Finance, the Securities and Exchange Commission SEC, the Anti-Money Laundering Office AMLO, the Bank of Thailand, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Under TouristDigiPay, tourists must register with licensed digital asset platforms and undergo stringent Know-Your-Customer KYC) and customer due diligence checks managed by AMLO. Funds converted from crypto are transferred into dedicated e-wallets, from which transactions in baht can be executed via QR code—a payment process transparent to merchants, who receive only baht and never handle cryptocurrency directly.