Bank of Thailand BNPL Rules and Cash Gold Limits Coming

New Bank of Thailand BNPL rules are expected in December 2026, with a 20,000-baht credit limit and a 15% interest ceiling, as part of five financial measures the central bank plans to roll out between November 2026 and March 2027, The Nation Thailand reported.

Governor Vitai Ratanakorn outlined the plan at the bank's GovernorConnect media event, "A Year in Review, Moving Forward", on October 29. He also said the 1% policy interest rate remains appropriate, while leaving room to review it if growth or inflation move differently from forecasts.

The five planned measures and timeline

• November 2026: controls on gold bought or sold in cash for more than 10 million baht.
• December 2026: a licensing framework for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services on digital platforms, with a 20,000-baht credit limit, repayment of up to six months and an interest-rate ceiling of 15%.
• December 2026: lower fees for credit-bureau checks.
• January 2027: higher standards for money changers.
• March 2027: rules for baht-linked (THB) stablecoins.

According to a Bank of Thailand summary of the event, the bank is also preparing an SMEs Credit Portal for January 2027, a central platform meant to connect small businesses with lenders.

What the BNPL rules mean for shoppers

BNPL lets online shoppers split a purchase into instalments. Capping the credit line and the interest rate is designed to stop households, already burdened with high debt, from piling up costly short-term loans. For merchants and platforms, a licence requirement means BNPL providers will need to meet the central bank's standards before offering the service.

Rate on hold as growth stays below potential

The new measures follow the Monetary Policy Committee's unanimous decision on October 28 to keep the policy rate at 1.00%. The committee now expects the Thai economy to grow 2.4% in 2026 and 2.1% in 2027, helped by exports and private investment linked to the technology and AI cycle, including data centres.

The bank warned that the gains remain concentrated. Private consumption is held back by household debt and weak purchasing power, and foreign tourist arrivals are expected to fall amid higher oil prices. Headline inflation is set to rise through the rest of the year and into early 2027 because of energy prices and El Niño, a key reason the committee is watching the Middle East conflict closely.

Why it matters for Phuket

For a tourism-driven province, softer arrivals and higher fuel costs are the numbers to watch. Gold traders, money changers and online sellers in Phuket should also follow the detailed rules as they are published. See our earlier reports on falling Thai business sentiment, the dip in foreign tourist arrivals and stricter bank rules for foreigners.

Photo: Knowledge Vault, Bank of Thailand Learning Center, by Paul_012 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.