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

Togo's National Assembly definitively adopted a new AML/CFT law on 27 February 2026, replacing the 2018 statute. It explicitly extends anti-money-laundering due-diligence and reporting obligations to VASPs for the first time, in line with the UEMOA Uniform AML/CFT Directive of 31 March 2023 and FATF Recommendation 15.

The WAEMU Council of Ministers adopted a uniform AML/CFT directive on 31 March 2023 introducing legal definitions for virtual assets and VASPs across all eight member states; a uniform banking law of June 2023 broadened the supervised perimeter to include fintechs. Implementing texts on licensing, operating conditions, and prudential requirements remain absent at regional level.

The BCEAO established the C-CRYPTO committee to develop a harmonised regional crypto-asset framework and is studying CBDC issuance. It convened an international conference in May 2026 on 'Crypto-assets and Digital Innovations: Opportunities and Challenges for Monetary and Financial Stability', signalling a policy-formulation rather than prohibition posture.

Despite AML/CFT obligations now applying to VASPs, Togo has no standalone licensing regime for crypto exchanges or other VASPs. No authority has been designated to issue VASP licences, and no capital-adequacy, local-presence, or conduct requirements have been published.

Cryptocurrencies are not recognised as legal tender in Togo or anywhere in the WAEMU zone. The BCEAO consistently warns consumers of the risks of trading crypto assets, which are not issued by any central monetary authority in the region.

The 2026 AML/CFT law aligns Togo with FATF Recommendation 15 on virtual assets. FATF's 2025 targeted update on VA/VASP implementation noted that only 33% of assessed jurisdictions fully satisfy the licensing/registration requirement, placing Togo — which has AML duties but no licence regime — in the partial-compliance category.