BANGKOK – Thailand plans to overhaul its securities laws to speed up investigations of financial crimes and tighten oversight of auditors and advisers.The Cabinet on Aug 25 approved proposed amendments to four laws covering financial and capital markets and digital assets, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s secretary-general Pornanong Budsaratragoon told a press conference. The changes would allow SEC officials to work alongside police in probes of serious market offences.The latest push builds on an emergency decree introduced in March 2025 that gave the SEC greater authority to intervene in questionable corporate transactions and investigate major cases. The measures followed scandals at companies including Stark and Energy Absolute that shook investor confidence.Suspected criminal offences such as insider trading, stock manipulation and corporate fraud still have to be referred to police. Such investigations typically take more than two years because of limited resources and expertise, according to Pornanong. The proposed cooperation should significantly shorten that process.“Investors have demanded much stricter enforcement against wrongdoers to restore their confidence,” she said. Cabinet approval of the proposed changes is “a major initial step” towards winning back that trust, she added.The amendments would also strengthen supervision of auditors and financial advisers, which Pornanong described as gatekeepers who can help prevent misconduct at companies.The proposals will be sent to Parliament for approval and are expected to take effect in 2027, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said at the briefing.Cable wire maker Stark defaulted on almost 40 billion baht (S$1.55 billion) of liabilities in 2023 after revealing accounting irregularities, while its shares became nearly worthless. Several former executives have been charged with wrongdoing.In 2024, the SEC made allegations of fraud and corruption against the founder and a director of Energy Absolute, once the nation’s largest renewable-energy company. The accusations triggered a stock slump and were followed by delays in the company’s bond payments. BLOOMBERG