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

In January 2018 the Central Bank of Tunisia issued a formal directive categorizing all virtual currencies as unauthorized, criminalizing trading, payments, exchange services, and advertising without state authorization; penalties reach 5 years' imprisonment and fines exceeding 100,000 TND. The ban was grounded in foreign-exchange controls and AML concerns.

A draft Foreign Exchange Code submitted by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament would repeal the 1976 forex law and introduce first-time legal recognition of 'crypto-assets' as a defined category. Residents would be required to declare and repatriate crypto holdings above BCT-set thresholds; a strict sanctions regime (fines + up to 3 years' imprisonment for non-declaration) would apply.

Since approximately 2020 the BCT has operated a regulatory sandbox permitting a small number of fintechs to test blockchain-based payments, remittances, and supply-chain traceability under strict BCT oversight; this is the only legal pathway for private-sector blockchain experimentation.

Parliamentary committees are reviewing a separate bill to decriminalize crypto possession and create a licensed VASP regime (conditional exchange licenses, mandatory on-shore KYC, progressive capital gains tax). A phased timeline has been discussed: framework by 2026, sandbox expansion in 2026, pilot exchanges by 2027, full retail access by 2028 — but no bill has been enacted as of May 2026.

The BCT developed an internal proof-of-concept e-Dinar with Tunisian Post and DigiCash under the Digital Tunisia 2025 initiative. The BCT officially denied that any formal CBDC test launch had taken place; no public pilot or live issuance exists as of mid-2026.

The Tunisian Financial Analysis Committee (CTAF) enforces AML/CFT rules. Tunisia was removed from the FATF grey list in 2023 after strengthening its AML regime; the 2018 crypto ban has been partly justified as an AML/capital-flight control measure.