Thailand’s securities regulator is moving to broaden the country’s derivatives market to include digital assets and carbon credits, following Cabinet approval of changes aimed at aligning the market with international standards and expanding investment opportunities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the expansion of permissible underlying products under the Derivatives Act will allow new asset types, including cryptocurrencies, to be used in futures and other derivative contracts.
The move is intended to strengthen the role of digital assets as an investment class while supporting diversification and more effective risk management for investors.
Carbon credits will be classified as goods rather than variables, a change that enables both cash-settled and physically delivered futures contracts to be listed on regulated exchanges.
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The regulator said the framework is consistent with principles in Thailand’s draft Climate Change Act and is designed to support carbon trading in line with national carbon neutrality objectives.
“The expansion of permissible goods and variables under the Derivatives Act aims to support new forms of goods and variables—such as digital assets,” SEC Secretary-General Pornanong Budsaratragoon said.
The SEC plans to introduce additional regulatory measures to support the new products, including amendments to derivatives business licenses so digital asset operators can offer contracts linked to cryptocurrencies.
Authorities will also review supervisory requirements for exchanges and clearing houses to ensure they are appropriate for the new instruments.
The regulator is coordinating with Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX) to determine contract specifications, particularly for digital asset derivatives, so that product design reflects market risk characteristics and practical usage.
The initiative is intended to promote broader market participation, strengthen investor protection and support the development of Thailand’s capital markets as demand grows for exposure to emerging asset classes.
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