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

The Attorney General publicly stated in 2020 that cryptocurrency is not legal in Guyana. No subsequent legislation has conferred legal status on virtual assets or crypto-assets of any kind.

Guyana's FIU concluded in its January 2024 National Risk Assessment that a policy decision was made to prohibit VA and VASP-related activities, citing the country's limited regulatory infrastructure and high AML/CFT risk exposure.

Act No. 15 of 2023 amended Guyana's AML/CFT Act to designate virtual assets and VASPs as supervised activities, assigning oversight responsibility to the FIU, Bank of Guyana, and Guyana Securities Council.

The draft Guyana Compliance Commission Bill explicitly prohibits the use and exchange of virtual assets and all VASP operations in Guyana. The Compliance Commission is envisioned as the future regulatory authority; the Bill had not been enacted as of early 2026.

No cryptocurrency exchange or VASP has been licensed, registered, or authorized in Guyana. There is no current process by which an entity could apply for a VASP license under existing law.

The Guyana Revenue Authority has not issued dedicated guidance on cryptocurrency taxation. General income tax and capital gains tax laws apply in principle, but no specific reporting obligations or enforcement framework for digital assets exist.