Moldova: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: No dedicated crypto law in force; Ministry of Finance MiCA-aligned draft bill (co-developed with the National Bank of Moldova, National Commission for Financial Markets, and Office for Prevention and Combating Money Laundering) awaiting government approval and parliamentary adoption; target: in force by end-2026

Moldova currently has no dedicated cryptocurrency regulatory framework. The National Bank of Moldova has explicitly stated that virtual currencies are unregulated and that it has granted no authorizations to virtual currency platforms. The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the National Bank and other agencies, has prepared a draft law modelled on the EU's MiCA regulation, covering three asset categories (e-money tokens, asset-referenced tokens, and other crypto-assets); the law must pass parliament and is expected to enter into force by end-2026. In the interim, crypto ownership and trading are legally tolerated, crypto payments are prohibited, and MONEYVAL rated Moldova non-compliant on FATF Recommendation 15 in its 2025 Enhanced Follow-Up Report.

Framework: White Paper on AI and Data Governance (Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, October 2024); Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI signed September 2024; draft Law on AI in Public Services (planned entry into force January 1, 2027); National AI Program 2026-2030 (decree under development as of May 2026)

Moldova has no comprehensive AI law in force as of mid-2026. The primary policy instrument is the October 2024 White Paper on AI and Data Governance, which sets strategic direction for future regulation aligned with EU standards. Active legislative work includes a draft law on AI in public services (slated for January 2027) and a National AI Program 2026-2030 being developed under Moldova's EU candidate-country accession agenda.

Framework: Law No. 133/2011 on Personal Data Protection (currently in force); superseded by Law No. 195/2024 on Personal Data Protection (applicable from 23 August 2026). Supervisory authority: National Centre for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP).

Moldova has maintained a comprehensive personal data protection regime since Law No. 133/2011 entered into force in April 2012, originally aligned with EU Directive 95/46/EC. On 25 July 2024 Parliament adopted Law No. 195/2024, which substantially transposes the EU GDPR (Regulation 2016/679) into national law and becomes fully applicable on 23 August 2026. Until that date, Law No. 133/2011 remains the operative instrument, enforced by the independent National Centre for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP).

Framework: Law on Payment Services and Electronic Money No. 114 of 18 May 2012 (as amended by Law No. 209/2022 transposing EU PSD2), administered and supervised by the National Bank of Moldova (NBM).

Moldova operates a dedicated, EU-aligned licensing regime for non-bank payment institutions and electronic money institutions (EMIs) under Law 114/2012, with the National Bank of Moldova as the single licensing and supervisory authority. PSD2 was transposed via Law 209/2022 (phased in 2022-2024), introducing open banking, strong customer authentication and third-party providers (AISPs/PISPs), and the NBM launched the MIA instant-payments rail in 2024 with SEPA accession in 2025. BNPL has no dedicated standalone framework.

Framework: Foreigners' Regime Law (Law No. 200/2010, as amended), with dedicated digital nomad residence permit provisions in force from 20 September 2025; administered by the General Inspectorate for Migration (IGM), Ministry of Internal Affairs

Moldova launched a dedicated Digital Nomad residence permit on 20 September 2025, allowing foreign remote workers earning income exclusively from non-Moldovan sources to reside legally for up to two years (issued as one year, renewable). Three categories qualify: employees of foreign-registered companies, independent service providers/freelancers with foreign clients, and shareholders or partners in foreign-registered companies. Moldova's former Citizenship-by-Investment programme was suspended in 2019 and legally repealed in 2020; no golden-visa or residency-by-investment pathway currently exists.

Framework: Audiovisual Media Services Code (as amended July 2025) administered by the Audiovisual Council; draft Digital Services Law (DSA-aligned, public consultation launched April 2025); Law No. 252 of 2026 on digital/technology-facilitated violence

Moldova has partial online safety regulation anchored in a July 2025 amendment to its Audiovisual Media Services Code that extends obligations to video-sharing platforms, alongside a 2026 law criminalising technology-facilitated violence against women. A comprehensive DSA-inspired national Digital Services Law was circulated for public consultation in April 2025 and, following the July 2025 EU-Moldova Summit commitment, is targeted for transposition by October 2026, meaning a full framework is proposed but not yet in force.

Framework: Law No. 48/2023 on Cybersecurity (Legea nr. 48/2023 privind securitatea cibernetică), in force 1 January 2025; supplemented by Government Decision No. 1028/2023 (Cybersecurity Agency), Government Decision No. 860/2024 (service-provider identification), and Government Decision No. 562/2025 (sector-specific obligations). Supervised by the Cybersecurity Agency (Agenția pentru Securitate Cibernetică, ASC/NCSC-MD).

Moldova enacted a comprehensive cybersecurity law (Law No. 48/2023) that entered into force on 1 January 2025 and partially transposes EU Directive 2022/2555 (NIS2), covering risk management, incident reporting, and critical-sector obligations for medium-sized and larger entities. The Cybersecurity Agency was established in December 2023 as the competent national authority and single point of contact, with CERT-GOV-MD providing the operational government CSIRT function. Full NIS2 transposition remains in progress, with further implementing acts adopted through 2025 and a National Cybersecurity Programme for 2026-2030 under development.

Framework: Law No. 220/2007 on State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs; Public Services Agency (ASP) is the sole registering authority

Moldova permits 100% foreign ownership of an SRL (limited liability company) with no meaningful capital barrier, the statutory minimum is MDL 1 since July 2023. Registration is handled by the Public Services Agency (ASP), takes 24 hours as standard (4 hours expedited), and can be completed fully remotely. Restrictions on foreign participation are narrow, limited mainly to agricultural/forestry land ownership and bank-share holdings by entities domiciled in designated tax havens.