Demand for newly printed banknotes has surged ahead of the Chinese New Year festival, resulting in a shortage of fresh notes.
Chinese New Year, celebrated this week from Wednesday through Friday, requires ang pao (red envelopes) with money stuffed inside.
Although digital payments are surging, many Thais of Chinese descent prefer to give ang pao as cash, particularly newly printed banknotes.
Consumers are complaining about the shortage of new banknotes, a problem many faced during last year's festival.
A 51-year-old running a small business said she was unable to get new banknotes.
"Last week, I walked in to a bank branch to acquire new banknotes. A sign at the service counter stated no new banknotes were available. This has been an issue for two consecutive years," she said.
One 16-year-old student of Chinese descent said he does not care about the payment method. He said he appreciates both cash in red envelopes and digital payments.
The central bank said it understands consumer demand rises during the festival and it works closely with banks to ensure an adequate supply of banknotes, including newly printed ones.
Roughly 1.3 to 1.7 billion banknotes are printed each year to support economic growth and replace old notes that are destroyed.
