Thailand consulted on a new process for unclaimed client assets at securities firms

The proposal focuses on assets left behind when contact breaks down

The draft is aimed at situations where an intermediary has made reasonable efforts to reach a client but cannot complete the usual return or transfer of the client’s assets. It also covers difficult wind-down scenarios, including a firm seeking to surrender all of its business licences or an operator that cannot maintain the required net capital.

For investors, the key is the status of the proposal. Thailand already has safeguards that can require an intermediary facing specified net-capital problems to stop business and return client assets or move them to another operator. The July proposal tries to deal with what happens after those ordinary routes have failed because the client remains unreachable.

For practical context, see Living in Thailand. This development also connects with Thailand SEC proposes broader rules for major shareholders.

A CSD record and searchable notices would create a recovery trail

Under the draft, an operator that cannot contact an inactive client or transfer the assets elsewhere could submit the client’s details to the Central Securities Depository (CSD) for the securities-certificate process. The intention is to preserve an ownership trail so that the client can later identify the assets and reclaim the relevant rights.

The proposal also requires information about the action taken to remain searchable for at least six months. Operators would report the outcome to the SEC within 10 business days after a transfer, certificate issuance or other covered handling step is completed. In a net-capital failure scenario, the draft gives an operator 30 business days from the point it can no longer maintain the required capital to complete the specified process when normal contact or transfer remains impossible.

A closed hearing is not the same as a rule already in force

The SEC’s public-hearing record shows Consultation No. 40/2569 running from 8 July to 6 August 2026 and then closing. The accompanying SEC announcement frames the measures as a draft notification and asks market participants for comments.

Clients should therefore separate the policy idea from the rules they can rely on today. Until a specific effective instrument is confirmed, the six-month notice period, 10-business-day reporting requirement and 30-business-day handling deadline should not be assumed to apply in every relevant case. Keeping contact details current with a broker and retaining account statements and ownership records remains the simplest way to reduce the chance of assets becoming difficult to trace in the first place.