Thailand app lets tourists convert stablecoins into baht for QR payments
WORPT operates under a regulatory trial and allows foreign visitors to pay shops and restaurants without opening a Thai bank account.
Foreign visitors to Thailand can use a new app, WORPT, to exchange dollar-pegged stablecoins for baht and make QR payments at shops and restaurants. The service operates within a sandbox supervised by Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Bloomberg reported that e-money provider Wipay developed the app with Waan Exchange, a digital asset exchange founded by Chaval Jiaravanon. Users do not need a Thai bank account to spend their converted funds.
According to workpointTODAY, visitors fund the app with USDT or USDC, exchange the tokens for baht and use Thai QR PromptPay to make purchases. Retailers receive payments in baht rather than cryptocurrency. Partners include USDT issuer Tether and retailer The Mall Group.
Wipay founder Pavin Jittiwongsamarn said the service is aimed at cryptocurrency holders in South Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The company forecasts 200,000 users during its first year and spending of ฿15 billion across the 18-month trial.
The developers said the SEC authorised Waan Exchange to join the sandbox for 18 months on Sept. 25. Tourists must complete identity checks with both providers under SEC rules, and baht obtained through conversion must be deposited into an e-wallet registered in the tourist's own name.
A Visa prepaid card linked to the baht balance is being developed, workpointTODAY reported, with a physical version planned for mid-November and a virtual card for early 2027. Thailand introduced the TouristDigiPay sandbox in August 2025; the Finance Ministry said its purpose was to support tourism, not encourage cryptocurrency payments.
