Cape Verde: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Law No. 30/X/2023 of 21 June 2023 (virtual-asset services & digital banks); Banco de Cabo Verde (BCV) as supervisory authority; 2024 BCV draft Aviso on PSAV registration

Cape Verde enacted Law No. 30/X/2023 on 21 June 2023, which legalises virtual-asset activity subject to mandatory prior registration with the Banco de Cabo Verde and full AML/CFT compliance. In 2024 BCV published a consultation draft Aviso specifying the detailed registration requirements for Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAVs); that notice had not yet been finalised as of mid-2025. Sub-sector rules for stablecoins, custody, token offerings, DeFi and crypto taxation remain absent or unclear.

Framework: National AI Strategy (in development, formally launched April-May 2026); data protection governed by CNPD under Law 133/V/2001 as amended by Law 121/IX/2021

Cape Verde has no enacted AI-specific law, sectoral AI rules, or adopted voluntary AI guidelines as of mid-2026. In April-May 2026, the government formally launched the development process for both a National Data Strategy and a dedicated AI Strategy for public administration, led by the Ministry of Digital Economy with EU and international support. AI-related personal data processing is currently governed incidentally by the 2021-amended data protection framework overseen by the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD).

Framework: Law 133/V/2001 (Data Protection Act, as amended by Law 41/VIII/2013 and Law 121/IX/2021); supervisory authority: Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD)

Cape Verde enacted Africa's first comprehensive data protection law in 2001 (Law 133/V/2001), subsequently modernised by amendments in 2013 and 2021. The 2021 amendment (Law 121/IX/2021) aligned the framework with GDPR principles, introducing rights to erasure, data portability, restriction of processing, extraterritorial scope, and mandatory breach notification. The independent supervisory authority, CNPD, has been operational since 2015 and enforces compliance.

Framework: Banco de Cabo Verde (BCV) supervises payments under Decreto-Legislativo n.º 8/2018 (provision of payment services / issuance, distribution and redemption of electronic money) and Decreto-Legislativo n.º 9/2018 (legal regime for access to and activity of payment institutions and electronic money institutions), with the authorisation process, minimum capital, own funds and safeguarding rules detailed in BCV Aviso n.º 6/2019.

Cape Verde has a dedicated, in-force licensing regime for payment institutions and electronic money institutions, established by Legislative Decrees 8/2018 and 9/2018 (both of 28 November 2018) and operationalised by Banco de Cabo Verde Notice (Aviso) 6/2019. Banco de Cabo Verde is the authorising and supervisory authority for payment systems and these institutions. The framework is comparatively modern and Portuguese/EU-influenced, though it does not yet include a dedicated open-banking mandate or specific BNPL rules, and a broader fintech-regulation effort (a BCV sector survey) began in early 2025.

Framework: Remote Working Cape Verde Program (launched December 2020, operational 2021), administered by the Agência de Desenvolvimento do Turismo de Cabo Verde (ADTCV) and the Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF); tax exemption regime under Law No. 76/VIII/2021 and Decree-Law No. 11/2022; Green Card residency-by-investment under Law No. 30/IX/2018

Cape Verde operates a dedicated Remote Working Program launched in December 2020, offering a 6-month temporary work/tourism visa renewable for a further 6 months, targeting freelancers and self-employed remote workers employed by foreign clients. Participants are not treated as tax residents and their foreign-sourced income is exempt from Cape Verdean personal income tax. A separate Green Card residence-by-investment route and standard DEF-issued residence permits (temporary and permanent) provide longer-term pathways.

Framework: Cybercrime Law (Law n°8/IX/2017); Cybersecurity Legal Regime (Decree-Law 9/2021); Data Protection Law (Law 133-V/2001, amended 2021); ARME (Agência de Regulação Multissectorial da Economia) as telecom regulator; CNPD (Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados) as data-protection authority

Cape Verde has a patchwork of digital laws covering cybercrime, cybersecurity, and data protection, but has no dedicated online safety or platform content-moderation statute comparable to the EU Digital Services Act or the UK Online Safety Act. Intermediary liability for user-generated content is not specifically addressed in law, and there is no mandatory age-verification regime for online platforms beyond the data-protection consent threshold of 16 years. The internet remains open and uncensored, with Cape Verde consistently rated 'Free' by Freedom House.

Framework: Decreto-Lei n.º 9/2021 of 29 January 2021 (General Legal Regime for Cybersecurity in Cabo Verde), complemented by Law n.º 8/IX/2017 (Cybercrime Law), Law n.º 121/IX/2021 (Data Protection), and overseen by the Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança (CNCS) and CSIRT.CV

Cabo Verde enacted a comprehensive cybersecurity legal regime via Decreto-Lei 9/2021, covering public administration, critical infrastructure operators, essential services operators, and digital service providers. The law established the Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança (CNCS) as the national authority and CSIRT.CV as the operational incident-response team. Cabo Verde is also a party to the Council of Europe Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and has a 2017 cybercrime statute aligned with it.

Framework: Investment Law No. 13/VIII/2012 (Lei do Investimento), Commercial Companies Code (Código das Sociedades Comerciais), administered via the Janela Única dos Negócios (JUN / Casa do Cidadão) and Cabo Verde TradeInvest

Cape Verde treats foreign and domestic investors equally as a matter of law, permitting 100% foreign ownership in most sectors with no mandatory local partner. Company formation is centralised through the single-business window (JUN/Casa do Cidadão) and typically takes 2-4 weeks end-to-end across multiple agencies; sector-specific approvals (banking, fishing, telecoms, maritime) add complexity. The overall regime is open but administratively multi-step, placing the country at a moderate level of ease for foreign entrepreneurs.