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Is crypto legal in Mauritius? Rules & regulation (2026)

Crypto is regulated in Mauritius.

Crypto is legal in Mauritius and comprehensively regulated under the VAITOS Act 2021, which entered into force on 7 February 2022. The FSC licenses five classes of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) — brokerage, wallet, custody, advisory and marketplace — and separately registers Initial Token Offering (ITO) issuers, with detailed AML/CFT, capital, custody, cyber and disclosure rules. Cryptocurrencies are not legal tender (Bank of Mauritius public notice), but are recognised as having value.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Mauritius with other countries

Legal framework

Virtual Asset and Initial Token Offering Services Act 2021 (VAITOS Act), in force 7 February 2022, supervised by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The Bank of Mauritius governs payment/legal-tender status.

Status by sub-area

  • Stablecoins

    In force

    Stablecoins fall within the VAITOS Act as virtual tokens; VASPs holding stablecoins in custody must maintain sufficient reserves of each type to meet redemption obligations. There is no separate stablecoin-issuer statute, but issuance is captured under ITO/VASP rules.

  • Exchanges / VASP

    In force

    Exchanges and other VASPs must be licensed by the FSC under one of five VAITOS classes, with local substance, capital, fit-and-proper, AML/CFT (Travel Rule), market-integrity and cyber-reporting requirements.

  • Token Offerings

    In force

    Under Part IV of the VAITOS Act, ITO issuers must be Mauritius-incorporated, register with the FSC, and publish a white paper covering the issuer, business plan, technology, beneficial owners and CDD. Security-tokens and investment-type NFTs are separately regulated under the Securities Act 2005.

  • Custody

    In force

    Custodial services require a Class R VASP licence with MUR 5 million minimum capital; FSC rules require segregation and protection of client virtual assets, cybersecurity controls and 72-hour breach reporting.

  • DeFi

    Partial

    DeFi activities such as lending, staking and DAO-related services are, in principle, captured by the VAITOS Act when carried on in or from Mauritius, and the relevant VASP class must cover the activity. There is no bespoke DeFi statute, and truly decentralised/non-custodial protocols sit uneasily within the VASP-oriented framework.

    Still pending: No bespoke DeFi statute; regulatory clarity needed for decentralized protocols under VASP framework

  • Tax

    Partial

    Mauritius has no crypto-specific tax code. General principles apply: there is no capital gains tax, so capital-nature crypto disposals are untaxed, while trading/business income is taxed at the standard 15% corporate/income tax rate. Recent budget measures introduced targeted exemptions for licensed VASPs.

Key points: crypto & digital assets in Mauritius

  1. Comprehensive VAITOS Act in force

    The VAITOS Act 2021 came into force on 7 February 2022 and is the primary law regulating virtual assets, VASPs and initial token offerings in or from Mauritius, administered by the FSC.

    fscmauritius.org fscmauritius.org

  2. Five VASP licence classes

    The FSC licenses VASPs in five classes (M Broker-Dealer, O Wallet, R Custodian, I Advisory, S Marketplace/Exchange), each with minimum capital (MUR 2m–6.5m), local physical presence, resident directors, and fit-and-proper controls.

    fscmauritius.org mauritiusifc.mu

  3. ITO registration required

    Under Part IV of the VAITOS Act, only Mauritius-incorporated issuers may run Initial Token Offerings; issuers must register with the FSC and file a white paper with information on the issuer, business plan, technology, beneficial owners and CDD before offering tokens to the public.

    fscmauritius.org bowmanslaw.com

  4. Crypto is not legal tender

    The Bank of Mauritius has issued a Public Notice confirming that cryptocurrencies do not have legal tender status in Mauritius; there is no obligation to accept them as a means of payment, though they are recognised as having value.

    bom.mu

  5. Securities-law overlay for certain tokens

    Virtual assets are defined separately from securities under the VAITOS Act, but the FSC has clarified that fractionalised NFTs and NFTs with investment characteristics are regulated as securities under the Securities Act 2005, and platforms dealing in them need securities licences.

    charltonsquantum.com fscmauritius.org

  6. Heavy penalties for unlicensed activity

    Carrying on VASP business in or from Mauritius without a valid FSC licence is an offence carrying fines of up to MUR 5 million and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

    fscmauritius.org

Sources

  1. fscmauritius.org/media/119928/the-virtual-asset-and-initial-token-offering-services-ac
  2. fscmauritius.org/media/130455/fsc-guide-on-vaitos-act.pdf
  3. fscmauritius.org/media/127909/virtual-assets-and-ito-capital-and-other-financial-requi
  4. bom.mu/media/media-releases/public-notice-cryptocurrencies
  5. mauritiusifc.mu/fintech-innovation/virtual-asset-and-initial-asset-token-offering-mau
  6. charltonsquantum.com/mauritius-virtual-assets-regulation/
  7. bowmanslaw.com/insights/mauritius-fsc-publishes-guidelines-and-fees-for-virtual-asse
  8. cms.law/en/int/expert-guides/cms-expert-guide-to-crypto-regulation/mauritius

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 12 Jul 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026