Restricting the Liquidity of Shadow Bullion Trading
The central bank has similarly tightened reporting frameworks for gold trading. Although designed to shield the Thai Baht from the volatility of speculative bullion transactions, the controls are actively squeezing money laundering loopholes.
Regulators flagged a recurring pattern where buyers purchased large quantities of gold via digital applications in the morning and executed immediate, same-day physical withdrawals from retail gold shops in the afternoon.
Lenders are now legally required to flag and report these structural anomalies directly to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO).
Following the intervention, physical gold withdrawals collapsed from a monthly average of 4,000 kilograms to approximately 700 kilograms, demonstrating that irregular trading channels are being restricted.
Combatting Digital Loopholes and Online Gambling
On institutional banking, the BOT has instructed all commercial operations to enforce heightened Know-Your-Customer (KYC) screening at account opening stages, specifically aiming to eliminate mule accounts tied to online gambling networks.
The central bank confirmed that thousands of high-risk retail accounts linked to digital betting syndicates have already been systematically frozen.
To counter capital flight through digital assets, the central bank is deploying advanced data analytics alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which maintains direct statutory authority over virtual currencies.
The joint oversight team has initiated deep audits into trading volumes surrounding major stablecoins, specifically focusing on Tether (USDT).
Analytical models identified a subset of high-volume stablecoin transactions specifically structured to conceal ownership details or circumvent standard onshore remittance channels. The investigative findings have been handed over to the SEC for formal disciplinary and statutory enforcement action.
