Monaco: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Law No. 1.528 of 7 July 2022 on digital and crypto-asset service providers; dual-authority supervision by the Commission de Contrôle des Activités Financières (CCAF) and the State Minister

Monaco enacted Law No. 1.528 on 7 July 2022, establishing a mandatory licensing regime for crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and classifying digital assets into financial tokens, virtual financial assets, usage tokens, and NFTs. Trading-platform operators require State Minister approval; advisory and order-execution services require CCAF authorisation; all licences are reserved for Monaco-incorporated entities. Crypto-assets are legal to hold and trade, though the CCAF publicly cautions that they do not constitute legal tender, ICOs carry no specific investor protections, and AML obligations are strictly enforced.

Framework: Extended Monaco National Digital Strategy (2019, ) with AI component; Autorité de Protection des Données Personnelles (APDP) under Law No. 1.565 (2024)

Monaco has no dedicated AI legislation and the EU AI Act does not apply to it as a non-EU member state. The Principality governs AI through its Extended Monaco national digital transformation programme, which explicitly designates AI as a strategic priority built on 5G, sovereign cloud, and government data infrastructure, supplemented by a GDPR-aligned personal data protection law enforced by the APDP. Officials have publicly noted that a future targeted AI regulatory framework, calibrated specifically for Monaco's controlled environment and less rigid than the EU AI Act, is under consideration but has not been formally proposed.

Framework: Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024 on the protection of personal data, implemented by Sovereign Ordinance No. 11.327 of 10 July 2025; supervisory authority: Autorité de Protection des Données Personnelles (APDP), which replaced the former CCIN.

Monaco has a comprehensive GDPR-aligned personal data protection regime under Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024, which entered into force in December 2024 and repealed the prior 1993 Law No. 1.165. An independent supervisory authority, the APDP, succeeded the CCIN with strong investigation and sanctioning powers, and Monaco ratified the Council of Europe's modernised Convention 108+ on 6 March 2025. An EU adequacy decision has been formally requested but, as of mid-2026, has not yet been granted, so EU–Monaco transfers still rely on appropriate safeguards.

Framework: Monaco-EU Monetary Agreement (2011, updated) transposing EU payment directives via French law; French-Monaco Banking Treaty (1945/2010) delegating prudential licensing to France's ACPR; Law No. 1.528 of 7 July 2022 for digital-asset service providers; CCAF (Commission de Contrôle des Activités Financières) as domestic financial supervisor

Monaco does not operate a fully independent, standalone payment-institution or e-money licensing regime; instead, payment institutions and credit institutions are licensed by France's ACPR under the French-Monaco Banking Treaty, while the Monaco-EU Monetary Agreement extends EU directives, including PSD2, into the Principality through French transposition. Digital-asset and crypto-asset service providers are subject to a distinct domestic authorisation regime under Law 1.528 (2022), overseen by the CCAF or the State Minister, giving Monaco a multi-layered but structurally incomplete fintech framework with no explicit BNPL rules or native instant-payment rails.

Framework: Ordonnance Souveraine n° 3.153 (1964, as amended) governing residence permits; administered by the Direction de la Sûreté Publique (DSP); official portal: monservicepublic.gouv.mc

Monaco has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa. Foreign nationals wishing to stay beyond 90 days must apply for a Carte de Séjour (residence permit) through the DSP, demonstrating secure accommodation in Monaco and financial self-sufficiency. Remote workers with sufficient savings or passive/foreign income can qualify under the general residency pathway, but must meet high financial thresholds and, for non-EU nationals, first obtain a French long-stay visa.

Framework: Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024 (data protection / information society services); Law No. 1.578 of 1 July 2025 (digital amendments including content-dissemination obligations); Autorité de Protection des Données Personnelles (APDP)

Monaco is not an EU member state and has no comprehensive online safety law equivalent to the EU Digital Services Act or the UK Online Safety Act. It operates a partial regime combining a GDPR-aligned data protection law (including age-consent rules for minors under 15 on information society services), cybersecurity obligations reinforced in 2025, and specific duties on technical service providers regarding unlawful and terrorist content online. Broader online safety measures for minors, including platform-level age verification, remain under active public debate as of early 2026, with no dedicated legislation enacted.

Framework: Law No. 1.435 of 8 November 2016 on combating technological crime (OIV security obligations), as strengthened by Law No. 1.578 of 1 July 2025; Agence Monégasque de Sécurité Numérique (AMSN) as national cybersecurity authority; data-breach notification under Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024

Monaco's cybersecurity regime is anchored in Law No. 1.435/2016, which transposed the Budapest Cybercrime Convention, criminalised cyberattacks, and imposed binding security and incident-reporting obligations on Operators of Vital Importance (OIVs) across critical sectors. Law No. 1.578 of July 2025 updated and stiffened these obligations, while Law No. 1.565/2024 introduced GDPR-aligned 72-hour personal data breach notification duties. A voluntary NIS2-aligned horizontal framework is under active preparation following Monaco's public commitment at the 2024 Assises de la cybersécurité.

Framework: Law No. 1.573 of 8 April 2025 on the Modernisation of Company Law; business permit regime under existing Monegasque commercial law; administered by the Direction du Développement Économique (DDE) under the Ministry of Finance and Economy

Foreign nationals may own 100% of a Monegasque company with no statutory foreign-ownership cap, but every foreign partner or sole trader must first obtain a business activity permit from the Minister of State through the DDE before commencing any activity. Law No. 1.573 of 8 April 2025 modernised the corporate framework by introducing the single-member SURL, capping the permit review at 45 days, and allowing SAM formation by private deed, reducing friction while mandatory government pre-approval and economic-substance requirements keep the overall process moderately complex.