Is crypto legal in Argentina? Rules & regulation (2026)
Crypto is regulated in Argentina.
Crypto is legal in Argentina and now covered by a live, sector-specific regime. Law 27,739 (2024) placed virtual assets and PSAVs under the CNV and the AML framework; CNV Resolution 1058/2025 fleshed out registration, custody, cybersecurity, capital and consumer-protection duties, with the transitional deadlines to fully conform running through July–September 2025 and Chapter III obligations becoming exigible from 31 December 2025. Crypto is not legal tender, banks cannot yet directly offer crypto services (the BCRA is expected to lift that restriction in 2026), and gains are taxable under the Income Tax and Personal Assets Tax regimes administered by ARCA.
Legal framework
Law No. 27,739 (March 2024) — defines Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAV), amends AML Law No. 25,246 and designates the Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) as the PSAV registrar/supervisor — implemented by CNV General Resolutions No. 994/2024 and No. 1058/2025 (PSAV conduct/prudential rules), and No. 1069/2025, 1081/2025 and 1087/2025 (tokenization framework). AML/CFT supervision by the Unidad de Información Financiera (UIF); tax administration by ARCA (former AFIP); BCRA still restricts banks from directly offering crypto services (rule under review for 2026).
Status by sub-area
Stablecoins
PartialArgentina has no dedicated stablecoin-issuer statute setting reserve, redemption or attestation rules. Stablecoins are lawful to hold, trade and use by private agreement; foreign-issued stablecoins (predominantly USDT and USDC) dominate the market as a hedge against inflation, and any PSAV that offers services in them must comply with the general CNV RG 1058/2025 obligations. BCRA rules still keep banks out of direct stablecoin activity pending the 2026 reform.
Still pending: BCRA 2026 reform pending on bank direct stablecoin activity
Exchanges / VASP
In forceExchanges and other Virtual Asset Service Providers must be registered in the CNV's PSAV registry and comply with CNV RG 1058/2025 (registration data, capital, custody, cybersecurity, disclosures) and with UIF AML/CFT obligations under Law 25,246 as amended by Law 27,739. Transitional deadlines expired between July and September 2025 and Chapter III became fully exigible on 31 December 2025.
Token Offerings
In forceToken offerings are governed by a two-track approach: tokens that qualify as 'valores negociables' (securities) fall under the public-offering regime of Law 26,831 and CNV rules — now supplemented by the tokenization framework of RG 1069/2025, RG 1081/2025 and RG 1087/2025 (Oct 2025). Purely payment/utility tokens fall under the PSAV rules. The CNV has publicly warned since 2017 (updated on IOSCO) that ICOs may fall inside securities law depending on their structure.
Custody
In forceCustody of client crypto is a regulated PSAV activity: RG 1058/2025 mandates segregation of client assets from own assets (including fiat), restrictions on proprietary use of client crypto, prudential rules, cybersecurity policies and annual systems audits. Banks are still barred from providing direct custody, pending the BCRA's 2026 reform.
DeFi
PartialArgentina does not yet have a dedicated DeFi regime. RG 1058/2025 explicitly excludes from PSAV registration decentralized protocols without an identifiable provider and pure self-custody wallets, but any identifiable operator, front-end, or centralized element that provides one of the listed services falls inside the PSAV perimeter and must register. There is no separate rule on DAOs.
Still pending: Dedicated DeFi regime and DAO-specific rules not yet enacted
Tax
In forceCrypto is treated as a taxable asset under existing tax laws administered by ARCA (successor to AFIP). Gains from disposals are subject to the cedular Income Tax at 5% for ARS-denominated results and 15% for foreign-currency-denominated results; holdings are subject to the Personal Assets (wealth) Tax at the applicable annual rates. PSAVs report user data to ARCA and Argentina is implementing the OECD CARF (first collection 2026, exchange 2027-2028).
Key points: crypto & digital assets in Argentina
PSAV registry with the CNV
Any natural or legal person — Argentine or foreign — offering exchange, transfer, custody or administration of virtual assets to residents must register in the CNV's PSAV registry created by Law 27,739 and implemented by CNV RG 994/2024 and RG 1058/2025.
Comprehensive conduct/prudential rules (RG 1058/2025)
CNV RG 1058/2025, published 14 March 2025, sets minimum capital, information-security policies, client-asset segregation (including fiat), limits on proprietary use of client assets, cybersecurity requirements and annual systems audits; Chapter III became exigible for registered PSAVs from 31 December 2025.
AML/CFT: PSAVs are obliged subjects
Law 27,739 added PSAVs to the list of obliged subjects under AML Law 25,246, so PSAVs must implement KYC, beneficial-ownership checks, transaction monitoring, STR reporting, recordkeeping and a compliance officer under UIF supervision.
Tokenization framework
The CNV rolled out a dedicated tokenization regime — RG 1069/2025, expanded by RG 1081/2025 and RG 1087/2025 (Oct 2025) — to allow issuance and secondary trading of tokenized shares, corporate bonds, financial trusts and closed-end funds under CNV oversight.
Banks still restricted (but under review)
Since Comunicación 'A' 7506 (May 2022), the BCRA has barred banks and regulated payment providers from directly offering crypto trading, custody or intermediation. In December 2025 the BCRA announced it would open the door for banks to offer crypto services under AML/KYC conditions, with implementing rules expected in 2026.
Tax treatment
Crypto gains are subject to Income Tax (cedular schedule): 5% for ARS-denominated gains and 15% for gains denominated in foreign currency; crypto holdings form part of the base of the Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales (wealth tax). AFIP was replaced by ARCA in late 2024 and Argentina has committed to the OECD CARF (data collection from 2026, exchange 2027-2028).
Timeline of decisions
- IncidentPhone records link President Milei to $LIBRA fraud probe
Newly disclosed forensic call logs reportedly tie Javier Milei to promoters of the failed $LIBRA token around its launch, deepening the federal fraud investigation ("Cryptogate"). It is the largest political-crypto scandal in Argentine history.
CoinDesk
- DecisionBCRA moves to let banks offer crypto services
Argentina's central bank signaled it will allow commercial banks to offer crypto trading and custody starting in 2026, reversing the May 2022 ban that barred banks from digital-asset operations.
CoinDesk
- DecisionCrypto.com obtains CNV VASP registration
Crypto.com became one of the first major international exchanges to secure PSAV registration with Argentina's securities regulator, signaling formalization of the local crypto market.
La Nación
- Law · officialCNV General Resolution 1058/2025, comprehensive VASP operating rules enter force
Argentina's securities regulator published detailed prudential requirements for all Virtual Asset Service Providers: minimum net worth of USD 35,000-150,000 by activity category, mandatory cybersecurity standards, monthly and annual reporting obligations, and a tokenization sandbox for real-world asset innovation. Rules took effect May 26, 2025, with staggered compliance deadlines for local (August 1) and foreign entities (September 1).
CNV
- Law · officialCNV General Resolution 1058/2025, final VASP framework
The CNV approved the definitive regulation for Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAV), setting registration, minimum net-worth (USD 35k-150k), client-asset segregation, custody, cybersecurity, AML/CFT and advertising rules, with the full regime effective Dec 31, 2025.
Boletín Oficial / CNV
- Incident$LIBRA memecoin scandal, Milei endorses token that crashes 97%, sparking 'Cryptogate'
President Milei publicly promoted the $LIBRA token on social media; the price spiked and then collapsed over 97% within hours in what investigators described as a rug-pull, causing an estimated $251 million in investor losses. The scandal triggered congressional inquiries and a criminal investigation, exposing the risks of unregulated token promotion and becoming Argentina's first major crypto governance crisis.
Buenos Aires Herald
- Incident$LIBRA memecoin collapse ("Cryptogate")
President Milei promoted the $LIBRA token on X; its price spiked then crashed, causing roughly USD 251 million in investor losses and triggering a federal fraud investigation into a suspected rug pull.
Wikipedia (event record)
- LawCNV General Resolution 994/2024, VASP registry opened under new Law 27,739
Within days of Law 27,739's enactment, Argentina's National Securities Commission published implementing rules establishing the mandatory VASP registry, setting an initial registration deadline of June 3, 2024. For the first time, crypto exchanges, custodians, and other virtual-asset intermediaries were formally placed under securities-regulator supervision.
Allende & Brea (CNV Res. 994/2024)
- Guidance · officialCNV General Resolution 994/2024 creates the PSAV Registry
The CNV established the mandatory Registry of Virtual Asset Service Providers implementing Law 27,739 and FATF Recommendation 15; registration is an AML reporting requirement, not a CNV license.
Boletín Oficial / CNV
- Law · officialLaw 27,739 enacted, foundational VASP statute aligns Argentina with FATF standards
Argentina's Congress passed and the Executive partially promulgated a landmark anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing law that formally defined virtual assets in Argentine statute, mandated VASP registration with the CNV, and designated the CNV as the national crypto regulator. This is the primary legislation underpinning Argentina's current crypto framework.
Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina
- Law · officialLaw 27,739 enacted, VASPs as AML reporting entities
Published in the Official Gazette, the law reformed Argentina's anti-money-laundering regime (Law 25,246), defining virtual asset service providers, designating them obligated reporting subjects, and assigning the CNV to oversee their registry.
Argentina.gob.ar / CNV
- DecisionJavier Milei elected president on libertarian, pro-crypto platform
Milei won the presidential runoff pledging radical deregulation and explicit 'currency competition,' allowing prices and contracts denominated in Bitcoin or US dollars alongside pesos. His election marked a decisive shift away from the BCRA's restrictive crypto stance, setting the stage for the 2024 VASP law and eventual bank-crypto authorization.
CoinTelegraph
- Decision · officialBCRA Communication A 7759, payment service providers barred from crypto
The Central Bank extended its 2022 banking prohibition to all payment service providers (PSPs), closing the regulatory gap that fintechs had exploited after the bank ban. PSPs were prohibited from carrying out or facilitating any crypto asset operations for their clients, effectively cutting off digital-only banks and mobile-payment apps from the crypto market.
BCRA
- DecisionBCRA Communication A 7506, financial institutions banned from offering crypto services
Just 48 hours after Banco Galicia and Brubank launched retail crypto trading, Argentina's Central Bank barred all regulated financial institutions from carrying out or facilitating digital-asset transactions for clients. The move was widely linked to IMF conditionality in the concurrent $45 billion debt restructuring deal and stood as the defining restriction for the following three years.
O'Farrell (BCRA Comm. A 7506)
- Enforcement · officialCommunication "A" 7506 bars banks from crypto-asset operations
The BCRA prohibited financial institutions from conducting or facilitating client transactions with crypto assets not authorized by a competent national regulator or the BCRA. It established Argentina's restrictive supervisory stance toward crypto in the regulated payments/banking system.
BCRA
- DecisionArgentina-IMF $45 billion extended-fund deal includes clause discouraging crypto use
Argentina's debt restructuring agreement with the IMF contained a commitment to discourage the use of cryptocurrencies, which observers and market participants viewed as the direct political trigger for the BCRA's May 2022 ban on bank crypto services. This established the explicit link between sovereign debt management and crypto restriction in Argentine policymaking.
CoinDesk
- Decision · officialBCRA Communication A 6823, first formal regulatory constraint on bank crypto payments
Argentina's Central Bank issued its first direct regulatory action touching crypto assets, requiring financial institutions and card issuers to obtain prior BCRA approval before enabling customer payments for crypto asset acquisition. This established the principle that crypto-related banking activity required central-bank sanction, laying the foundation for the stricter bans that followed.
BCRA
Sources
- argentina.gob.ar/noticias/regulacion-de-los-proveedores-de-servicios-de-activos-virtua
- boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/322539/20250314
- boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/305110/20240325
- dentons.com/en/insights/articles/2025/april/30/new-cnv-regulation-on-virtual-asse
- bodlegal.com/en/the-cnv-expands-the-tokenization-framework-and-consolidates-argent
- coindesk.com/policy/2025/12/08/argentina-s-central-bank-to-allow-banks-to-provide-
- taxatlas.io/country/argentina/crypto-tax
- iosco.org/library/ico-statements/Argentina%20-%20CNV%20-%20Oferta%20Inicial%20d
- bitcoinmagazine.com/news/argentina-moves-to-let-banks-offer-bitcoin-and-crypto-services
- taxdo.com/resources/blog/post/argentina-crypto-tax-compliance-and-carf-readines
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