Phillip Securities Thailand says Thais interested in investing in regulated bitcoin futures have to meet the company's criteria and be prepared to shoulder the risks associated with high fluctuations in price.
Investors must have a strong balance sheet, pass the company's suitability test, which includes a risk profile, and have a good understanding of futures contracts and bitcoin, said chief executive Prachaya Kulvanichpisit.
"In addition, our clients who wish to trade bitcoin futures must deposit a 100% margin and gain approval to trade, for a maximum of five contracts per day," said Mr Prachaya.
Phillip Securities Thailand made headlines earlier when it announced Thai investors could speculate on bitcoin via an international global derivatives trading service, with Thailand's market regulators agreeing that the move is legitimate.
The service offers bitcoin futures trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
Bitcoin futures trading began in two of the world's major derivatives exchanges in mid-December.
The bitcoin futures unit traded on the CBOE is a smaller contract at one bitcoin, while the futures contracts traded on the CME are five bitcoins.
Last year, bitcoin's price peaked at almost US$20,000 (632,972 baht), but the cryptocurrency's price has dropped by about 45% since then.
Mr Prachaya said there is a limited number of bitcoin futures traders at present because of the high margin requirement and high volatility of bitcoin futures.
There are about 10 clients investing in bitcoin futures contracts, while around 1,000 bitcoin contracts are traded per day on the CME, he said.
"We expect the number of Thai investors trading global futures will continue to grow this year as their knowledge becomes more refined," said Mr Prachaya.
"We are taking a position as a brokerage firm and providing a good trading platform for investors, but we do not provide any research for this investment product because no one can predict the price direction of bitcoin and investors can easily obtain information from global data and cryptocurrency exchanges."
Bitcoin is the most active investment among cryptocurrencies, but its value has seen a rollercoaster ride since its inception. Although global central banks have yet to approve cryptocurrencies as legal tender, bitcoin investment volume continues to increase day-by-day.
Following the wild swings seen in bitcoin's trading value, especially over the last two months, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed the Finance Ministry to educate people about the risks of bitcoin investment.
The Bank of Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Finance Ministry and the Anti-Money Laundering Office have agreed to set up a working panel tasked with considering potential measures to handle problems that the digital currency may cause.
Meanwhile, Phillip Securities aims to capture 1,500 accounts for global trading futures this year, up from 1,000.
