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

The Finance Act No. 7 of 2025 amended the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act to define 'virtual asset' as a digital representation of value tradeable or transferable for payment or investment purposes, formally classifying VASPs as regulated reporting entities for the first time.

Operators must satisfy requirements from both the Financial Intelligence Unit (AML/CFT compliance, KYC, transaction monitoring) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (securities-related oversight), with mandatory capital requirements, fit-and-proper assessments, and local banking relationships; re-registration under the COBE Act was required by April 20, 2026.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) as the official local currency in April 2024 via SI 60 of 2024, backed by a composite basket of gold and foreign currencies held in RBZ vaults; it is a sovereign instrument and is legally distinct from any private stablecoin or crypto asset.

Crypto platforms are classified as 'data controllers' under SI 155 of 2024, requiring a POTRAZ data-controller licence, appointment of a Data Protection Officer, and mandatory retention of KYC and digital-onboarding records for seven years.

ZIMRA Public Notice 05 of 2026 (issued 19 January 2026) mandates a 15% withholding tax on payments to non-resident digital service providers, including foreign crypto exchanges; banks, mobile money operators, and microfinance institutions must withhold and remit to ZIMRA.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe operates an active Fintech Regulatory Sandbox enabling supervised testing of tokenised assets, digital payment innovations, and related crypto products under controlled conditions.