Is crypto legal in Gibraltar? Regulation & rules (2026)

Gibraltar enacted the Financial Services (Core Principles and Consumer Duty) Regulations 2024 to drive better retail outcomes; licensed DLT/crypto firms dealing with retail clients must observe these duties alongside the DLT framework.

Government amended the DLT Providers Regulations to add a 10th core principle requiring providers to prevent market manipulation and insider trading, setting market-abuse standards for crypto venues. Marks Gibraltar's push to be a high-integrity jurisdiction.

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 (Transfer of Virtual Assets) Regulations 2021 took effect, requiring VASPs to collect and pass originator/beneficiary information for transfers of EUR 1,000 or more, aligning Gibraltar with FATF AML standards.

Government and industry leaders formed a working group to draft the DLT framework's 10th core principle on market integrity, beginning the process that produced the 2022 market-abuse rules.

The GFSC updated its DLT Provider guidance notes to capture the evolution of digital assets (including custody and token activity), modernizing the 2018 framework without new primary legislation.

Government released proposals to regulate token sales via 'authorised sponsors' and to license secondary-market token platforms (modelled on MiFID II/MiFIR), extending oversight beyond the DLT framework to token offerings and trading.

Gibraltar's bespoke DLT regulatory regime took effect, requiring any firm using DLT to store or transmit customers' value to be licensed by the GFSC under ten principles — the world's first dedicated blockchain regulatory framework.

Government laid the Financial Services (Distributed Ledger Technology Providers) Regulations 2017, confirming a January 2018 launch and establishing the legal basis for licensing crypto/DLT firms in Gibraltar.