Is crypto legal in Albania? Rules & regulation (2026)

Albania introduced a new draft law on crypto-assets modelled closely on the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), requiring AFSA and Bank of Albania co-supervision, white-paper disclosure obligations, and categorisation of asset-referenced and e-money tokens. The move signals Albania's intent to harmonise with EU financial standards ahead of potential accession.

Albania's revised income tax law entered into force, making capital gains from virtual-asset disposals taxable at a flat 15% for individuals; mining and staking income is treated as business or personal income (0-23%). This was the first explicit tax treatment of crypto in Albanian law.

The Financial Action Task Force formally delisted Albania from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, recognising that Albania had addressed strategic AML/CFT deficiencies including those related to virtual-asset service providers. Albania had been on the grey list since February 2020.

The Albanian Financial Supervisory Authority approved a comprehensive licensing framework for DLT exchanges, the first such regime in the Western Balkans, establishing three licence categories covering digital-token-only exchanges, fiat/virtual-currency exchanges, and digital-securities exchanges. Five distinct licence types in total were formalised (DLT Exchange, Digital Token Agent, Third-Party Custodian Wallet, Innovative Service Provider, Automated Collective Investment).

The AFSA Board approved two subordinate regulations: one on capital adequacy and own funds for DLT-market entities, and one establishing detailed licensing rules and procedures for digital token agents. These were the first operative bylaws giving practical effect to the 2020 framework.

Albania's landmark DLT law became operative, creating binding licensing obligations for crypto exchanges, custodian wallets, and token issuers, supervised by AFSA and the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI). It made Albania one of the first three European countries (after Malta and France) with a comprehensive crypto-legal framework.

Albania's parliament approved the 'On Financial Markets Based on Distributed Ledger Technology' law by 88 votes to 16, legalising cryptocurrency activities and establishing a licensing-and-supervision regime. Introduced by the Minister of Finance and Economy, it was hailed as one of the most comprehensive crypto laws in Europe at the time.

FATF added Albania to its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, citing strategic weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, including inadequate oversight of virtual-asset service providers. This increased international scrutiny on Albania's nascent crypto sector.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy submitted the draft 'On Financial Markets Based on Distributed Ledger Technology' law to the parliamentary Committee of Economy for review, formally beginning the legislative process that would culminate in the May 2020 vote.

Reversing its earlier purely cautionary stance, Albanian authorities announced plans to explore a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, with the government acknowledging the sector's economic potential and signalling a shift toward supervised legalisation rather than restriction.

In a notice titled 'On the Risks Associated with the Use of Virtual Currency', the Bank of Albania warned citizens that digital currencies like Bitcoin operated outside the supervision of Albanian banking authorities, that no entities were licensed to offer crypto services, and that participants bore full individual risk. This established the pre-legislation baseline: crypto was unregulated, not banned.