Crypto & Digital Assets · Egypt
Crypto & Digital Assets - Egypt
Egypt prohibits the issuance, trading, promotion, brokering, and operation of crypto/digital-asset platforms without prior CBE license under Law No. 194 of 2020. Because the CBE has never issued any such license and has issued repeated public warnings, this functions as a de facto total ban backed by criminal penalties (imprisonment and fines up to EGP 10 million). There is no licensing, tax, custody, or DeFi framework in force.
Law No. 194 of 2020 (Art. 206) bars issuing, trading, promoting, or running platforms dealing in crypto assets, or providing related services, without prior CBE authorization.
The CBE has issued no licenses for crypto activity, so the conditional prohibition operates as a comprehensive de facto ban on exchanges and service providers.
Violations carry imprisonment and fines reported in the range of roughly EGP 200,000 to EGP 10 million; enforcement is treated as a financial crime rather than a regulatory matter.
The CBE has issued successive public warnings (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) that crypto assets are not legal currency, are highly risky, and that dealing in them is prohibited; the State Information Service has amplified these.
Because crypto is not a recognized legal asset, the Egyptian Tax Authority provides no mechanism to declare crypto gains; there is no capital-gains, income, or VAT regime specific to digital assets.
Egypt's Dar al-Ifta issued a non-binding fatwa declaring cryptocurrency trading impermissible (haram), reinforcing the prohibitive policy environment.
Machine-assisted translation · verified 5/23/2026 · orientation, not legal advice. English version →