Thailand Finalizes Bitcoin and Ether ETF Rules, Sets October 16 Effective Date

Published October 9, 2026, 05:50 UTC. Thailand's SEC finalized the crypto ETF rules on Oct. 9, 2026, with an October 16 effective date.

Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission finalized regulations for locally listed crypto exchange-traded funds on Thursday, October 9, clearing the last regulatory hurdle before spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs can launch on the country's main stock market, according to Cointelegraph, which first reported the finalization. The rules take effect on October 16, 2026, and Bitcoin and Ether ETFs will trade exclusively on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, or SET.

The October 16 effective date

The finalized framework closes out a process that began in April, when the SEC opened a public consultation on principles for crypto ETF establishment and closed a second round of feedback in September. Under the rules, only spot products qualify at launch, and only Bitcoin and Ether are eligible as underlying assets during the initial phase. Each ETF must track a single crypto asset and operate as a passive vehicle, mirroring the structure the SEC proposed to keep fund behavior tightly aligned with the underlying coin. Asset management companies seeking to launch the funds must demonstrate readiness in personnel, operational systems, and service providers, the regulator said.

The 80 percent exposure rule

The centerpiece of the rulebook is a hard exposure floor. Each crypto ETF must maintain average net exposure of at least 80 percent of its net asset value to its tracked cryptocurrency over every accounting year, according to the SEC's framework. The requirement is designed to keep the funds behaving as straightforward spot trackers rather than multi-asset or structurally complex vehicles. The SEC said eligible assets in the opening phase are limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum, which it described as highly liquid and generally accepted crypto assets. Products based on other tokens will have to wait for later phases.

Thai custody stays the default

Custody remains the tightest operational constraint. Fund crypto assets must primarily be held with digital asset custodians regulated by the SEC, the framework says, a provision the regulator kept after industry feedback prompted a review of its original custody proposal. Qualified foreign custodians may be used only when necessary and appropriate, and where foreign custody is involved the provider must be supervised by a recognized regulatory authority and meet the SEC's asset-protection standards. The rules also allow licensed digital asset custodians and other qualified digital asset business operators to act as fund supervisors, a role previously closed to them.

What funds can buy, and what they cannot

The framework opens new demand channels inside Thailand's fund industry. Mutual funds and private funds may now invest in Thai-domiciled crypto ETFs, alongside the foreign crypto ETFs they were already permitted to hold, subject to existing investment limits. But the SEC drew a firm boundary around indirect access: during the initial phase it will not permit depositary receipts or other alternative products tied to foreign crypto ETFs, pushing the market toward direct, onshore exposure. The agency also said crypto ETFs will carry extra investor-protection measures, including risk-understanding confirmations before trading and guidance against over-concentration in crypto assets.

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.

Sources

• Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand, SEC seeks public comments on principles for the establishment and regulatory framework of crypto ETFs in Thailand (No. 78 / 2026, Apr. 10, 2026), primary source
• Cointelegraph, Felix Ng, Thailand finalizes rules paving way for Bitcoin, Ether ETFs (Oct. 9, 2026), secondary source
• Adbytes.Media, Thailand Drafts Bitcoin and Ether ETF Rules With 80% Exposure and Onshore Custody (Oct. 9, 2026), secondary source