Crypto & Digital Assets - South Africa

DevelopingFSCA licensing of Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASPs) under the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 37 of 2002 (FAIS), following the October 2022 declaration of crypto assets as a financial product (General Notice 1350), plus AML obligations under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA).

South Africa regulates crypto exchanges and VASPs primarily as a conduct/market matter: since 1 June 2023 any provider of crypto-asset financial services must hold a CASP licence from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) under the FAIS Act, and must separately register as an 'accountable institution' with the Financial Intelligence Centre under FICA. As of 12 December 2025 the FSCA had received 512 applications and approved 300, with enforcement against unlicensed operators intensifying. There is no bespoke crypto statute or dedicated capital regime yet — CASPs sit within the existing FSP framework — and oversight is expected to migrate to the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) regime in future.

Machine-assisted translation · verified 5/23/2026 · orientation, not legal advice. English version →