Is crypto legal in Equatorial Guinea? Rules & regulation (2026)

Legal framework

CEMAC regional architecture: COBAC (banking supervisor) prohibition on crypto facilitation by financial institutions (May 2022); COSUMAF (financial markets regulator) Regulation on Virtual Assets and VASPs (December 2022); BEAC (Bank of Central African States) monetary oversight, no Equatorial Guinea-specific national crypto statute

Status by sub-area

• Stablecoins

  None

  No stablecoin-specific regulation exists in Equatorial Guinea or the broader CEMAC zone. BEAC is exploring a digital CFA franc (CBDC) to preserve monetary sovereignty but no stablecoin issuance, reserve-backing, or redemption framework has been promulgated.

• Exchanges / VASP

  Partial

  COSUMAF's December 2022 regulation formally introduces a VASP authorisation framework covering exchanges across CEMAC, but COBAC's May 2022 prohibition bars all licensed banks and PSPs from serving crypto platforms, and COSUMAF had not yet published a public register of authorised VASPs as of early 2026.

  Still pending: COSUMAF VASP register not published; COBAC bank prohibition restricts market access

• Token Offerings

  Partial

  COSUMAF's updated 2022 Financial Market Regulation includes ICO provisions applicable across the CEMAC zone including Equatorial Guinea, but detailed disclosure requirements and investor-protection rules for token sales had not been operationalised as of early 2026, leaving the regime effectively non-functional in practice.

  Still pending: ICO disclosure & investor-protection rules not yet operationalized

• Custody

  None

  No custody-specific rules for digital assets exist in Equatorial Guinea or under the CEMAC framework. There are no qualified-custodian requirements, segregation rules, proof-of-reserves obligations, or insurance mandates for crypto custody.

• DeFi

  None

  Decentralised finance is not addressed in any Equatorial Guinea or CEMAC regulatory instrument. No guidance on DeFi protocols, DAOs, or front-end operators has been issued; the general COBAC prohibition on financial-institution participation in crypto extends to DeFi liquidity, but there is no targeted DeFi enforcement posture.

• Tax

  Unclear

  Equatorial Guinea's Tax Law No. 1/2024 (enacted November 2024) modernised the general tax system but contains no explicit provisions for cryptocurrency. Crypto gains, staking rewards, airdrops, and mining income lack specific guidance and would notionally fall under general income or capital-gains rules, with significant legal uncertainty and no published tax-authority guidance.

  Still pending: Tax Law 1/2024 enacted but no crypto-specific guidance issued

Key points: crypto & digital assets in Equatorial Guinea

1. 01COBAC banking prohibition (May 2022)

   The CEMAC banking supervisor COBAC issued a decision prohibiting banks, microfinance institutions, and payment-service providers operating in all six CEMAC member states, including Equatorial Guinea, from facilitating any cryptocurrency transactions, citing monetary sovereignty and consumer-protection concerns.

   4mlegaltax.com freemanlaw.com

2. 02COSUMAF partial VASP framework (December 2022)

   On 14 December 2022 COSUMAF (the CEMAC financial markets supervisory commission) published updated Financial Market Regulations that introduce provisions for blockchain technology, ICOs, virtual assets, and VASPs, creating a licensing pathway in principle, but implementation instructions and an approved-VASP register had not been fully operationalised as of early 2026.

   4mlegaltax.com legalnetworkinternational.com

3. 03BEAC rejects crypto regulation (January 2024)

   At the first CEMAC Fintech Forum (Douala, January 2024), BEAC officials reiterated firm opposition to regulating cryptocurrencies, arguing that crypto purchases convert CFA-franc reserves into foreign currency and thereby weaken the monetary union's reserve base.

   businessincameroon.com

4. 04IMF flags regulatory incoherence

   IMF Article IV consultations for CEMAC noted clarity and consistency concerns between the July 2022 COSUMAF financial-market regulation (which covers digital assets) and BEAC's mandate plus COBAC's prohibition, leaving the effective legal status of crypto service providers in the zone, including Equatorial Guinea, ambiguous.

   imf.org

5. 05No crypto-specific tax provisions

   Equatorial Guinea enacted Tax Law No. 1/2024 (19 November 2024) to modernise its tax system, but the law contains no explicit provisions on cryptocurrency gains, staking income, or digital-asset reporting; crypto income would notionally fall under general income or capital-gains rules with significant uncertainty.

   clarenceabogados.com taxsummaries.pwc.com

6. 06Mining not explicitly banned

   Cryptocurrency mining by individuals and non-regulated entities is not explicitly prohibited in Equatorial Guinea; no specific licensing or energy-use rules targeting mining have been published by national authorities, though the banking prohibition means miners cannot freely use the regulated financial system.

   blog.mexc.com 4mlegaltax.com

Sources

1. 1.4mlegaltax.com/regulation-of-cryptocurrency-in-the-cemac/
2. 2.4mlegaltax.com/regulating-virtual-asset-services-in-the-cemac-zone/
3. 3.4mlegaltax.com/virtual-assets-regulation-within-the-cemac-zone/
4. 4.legalnetworkinternational.com/regulating-virtual-asset-services-in-the-cemac-zone-a-look-at-the-upd
5. 5.businessincameroon.com/finance/0502-13620-cemac-beac-rejects-cryptocurrency-regulation-amid-
6. 6.businessincameroon.com/public-management/2706-14802-cemac-zone-s-regulatory-vacuum-slows-fin
7. 7.freemanlaw.com/cryptocurrency/central-african-states/
8. 8.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/cr/2024/english/1caeea2024001-print-pdf.pd
9. 9.clarenceabogados.com/legal-news/general-taxation-of-the-republic-of-equatorial-guinea/
10. 10.taxsummaries.pwc.com/equatorial-guinea
11. 11.blog.mexc.com/wiki/is-crypto-mining-legal-in-equatorial-guinea/