Thailand\u2019s Ministry of Finance reportedly plans to issue $150 million worth of digital investment tokens, allowing retail investors to buy government bonds.<\/p>\n
The Bangkok Post reported<\/a> on May 13 that Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira announced the initiative at a briefing after the cabinet endorsed the plan. He added that the tokens will be launched within the next two months.<\/p>\n The so-called \u201cG-tokens\u201d will be used to raise funds from the public under the current budget borrowing plan, said Patchara Anuntasilpa, director-general of the Public Debt Management Office. He added that these were not debt instruments.<\/p>\n \u201cOne big selling point of the token is that it allows more retail investors to become part of the digital economy,\u201d he said, adding that for as little as $3, \u201cthey can invest in government bonds.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Until recently, retail investors have been limited or excluded from large investment product offerings in Thailand, which are predominantly aimed<\/a> at institutional and wealthy investors.<\/p>\n Finance Minister Pichai said the initial token mint is designed to \u201ctest the market\u201d and investors will earn higher returns than bank deposits, but did not specify yields.<\/p>\n Commercial banks in Thailand offer very low interest rates to savers, currently just 1.25% for a 12-month fixed deposit, which is much lower than rates set by its central bank, which has kept rates elevated until recently despite increasing economic woes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Tether Gold enters Thailand with listing on Maxbit exchange<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The report noted that the asset was not a cryptocurrency. It would be tradable on licensed digital asset exchanges, which are not accessible<\/a> to non-Thai citizens residing in the country.<\/p>\n Government bonds<\/a> are debt securities issued by the state to fund public spending. When investors buy them, they are essentially lending money to the government for a specified period in exchange for regular interest payments and the return of their principal at maturity.<\/p>\n In February, Thailand\u2019s securities regulator revealed plans<\/a> to launch a tokenized securities<\/a> trading system for institutional investors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The value of tokenized bonds globally has surged recently and is currently $225 million, according<\/a> to real-world asset tokenization analytics platform RWA.xyz.\u00a0<\/p>\nGlobal bond value onchain doubles in 2025<\/h2>\n