The Supreme Court of Thailand ruled that Bitcoin is considered "property" in the legal sense

According to Thai media Thaiger, the Supreme Court of Thailand ruled in judgment No. 4929/2569 that Bitcoin existing in electronic systems is considered "property" under criminal law. In this case, the victim exchanged $50,000 (approximately 1.878 million Thai Baht) for Bitcoin and then transferred it to a fraud gang.

The court held that Bitcoin has market value, can be exchanged for cash, and can be held by the general public. The value lost by the victim did not disappear due to the change in form, thus meeting the elements of property crime. The judgment also cited a letter from the Bank of Thailand stating that although cryptocurrencies are not legal tender for debt settlement, they have market trading value.

The court emphasized that the key issue is whether it has a price and can be possessed, which is a different question from whether it is a legal means of payment.