Do you know about Thai e-wallets? Read all about it in one article

Thailand eWallet Guide: A Comprehensive Explanation

Thailand's leading e-payment platforms

  1. PromptPay - National-level instant payment system facilitated by the Bank of Thailand

    • Transfer of funds by mobile phone number or ID number
    • Support interbank free transfer
    • High popularity of QR code payment
  2. TrueMoney Wallet

    • Products of True Corporation (in co-operation with Anthem)
    • Features include.
      • P2P transfers
      • Bill Payment
      • Online Shopping
      • ATM cash withdrawal service
  3. Rabbit LINE Pay

    • E-wallet built into the LINE app (Japanese-Korean joint venture)
    • BTS Light Rail Card Integration (Rabbit Card)
    • Widespread use within the LINE ecosystem
  4. ShopeePay

    • Payment tools for Shopee e-commerce platform (part of Sea Group, Singapore)
      Features.

      • Shopee shopping with great deals
      • Wide coverage of O2O scenarios
  5. GrabPay
    The financial services arm of Southeast Asian mega-app Grab, in Thailand has.
    Advantages of taxi/takeaway/delivery scenarios

Feature Comparison

PromptPay TrueMoney LINE Pay ShopeePay
Binding of bank accounts ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Cash Recharge Points ✔️ ✔️
BTS/MRT support ❌✔️(BMTA)✔️❌ Cross-border remittances ❌✔️(selected countries)❌❌❌

Developments after COVID-19

Cashless transactions in Thailand to grow by 300% after 2020, Key Trends.

  • "Digital Wallet Stimulus Programme (DWSP) government subsidy to boost adoption to 67% adults using digital payments (2021 data)

  • QR Code Unified Standard Thai QR Payment Enables Cross-Platform Interoperability

  • Regional players such as Grab Finance and AirAsia's BigPay accelerate their presence

  • CBDC Pilot Project Has Begun Testing Retail-Based Digital Currency Applications

In-depth analysis of e-wallets in Thailand (continued)

6. Bank-based e-wallets

In addition to third-party payment platforms, major Thai banks have also launched their own digital wallet solutions:

  • SCB Easy(Banco de Comercio)

    • Full digitalisation of account opening
    • SCB ATM network support
    • "Buy Now Pay Later" instalment service
  • KBank Next(Kaitai Bank)
    Featured Function:

    • AI Financial Assistant
    • K-Point Integral System
    • mCash Cardless Cash Withdrawal
  • Krungthai NEXT(Taegeuk Bank)
    The main channel of government welfare disbursement, support:
    ▸ National Welfare Card top-ups
    ▸ Agricultural subsidy payments

B2B applications

  1. Merchant side integration

    • QR code acquiring cost only 0.25-0.75% (compare to credit card 1.5-3%)
    • TrueMoney Offers SaaS Collection Solutions
    • LINE Official Account and Payment Deep Binding
  2. supply chain finance
    Case: CP Group and PromptPay docking implementation:
    ✓ Real-time vendor billing
    ✓ Digital reconciliation system
    Dynamic discount financing

🚀 Innovative Functional Frontiers

  1. Progress in cross-border connectivity

    • PromptPay is interoperable with PayNow Singapore (launching April 2021)
    • Malaysia-Thailand QR Payment linkage testing in progress
    • Laos/Cambodia border area pilots TrueMoney cross-currency settlement
  2. Embedded Finance (EF)
    Typical Scene:
    - Lazada In-App Enrolment Feature (in partnership with Chubb)
    - Grab Instant Loans for Drivers
    - Shopee Seller Credits

  3. Web3 convergence attempt
    ▪️ Siam Commercial Bank's NFT trading platform supports digital wallet payments
    ▪️ Bitkub Exchange Allows TrueMoney Deposits


📊 Key data indicators (2023 update)

norm numerical value note
Number of active e-wallet users 43 million Percentage of population 61%
Annual turnover 4.8 trillion baht YoY growth of 28%
Offline merchant coverage 78% 7-Eleven and other chain shops 100% Access
Average frequency of use 18 times/month Higher than the average for South-East Asia

🔮Future Development Trend Forecasts

1️⃣⃣ 'Super app' competition heats up: expect Grab, LINE and Shopee to further integrate high-frequency scenarios such as takeaways, travelling and socialising.

2️⃣ REGULATORY UPGRADE: The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is drafting a Digital Payment Services Act that could require.
- Segregation of funds escrow
- Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Enhancement
- Restrictions on the percentage of foreign ownership

3️⃣ Rural market breakthrough: current urban penetration rate of 89% vs. 52% in rural areas, Agri-wallet products will become a new growth point.