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

Legal framework

Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) January 2018 directive prohibiting unauthorized virtual-currency activities; Exchange Control Act (Law No. 76-18 of 21 January 1976, as amended); draft new Foreign Exchange Code in final parliamentary passage (expected Q1 2026)

Status by sub-area

• Stablecoins

  None

  No stablecoin-specific regulation exists. Stablecoin issuance and trading are implicitly prohibited under the 2018 BCT directive banning all unauthorized virtual currencies. The draft Foreign Exchange Code introduces broad crypto-asset recognition but contains no dedicated stablecoin or reserve-backing provisions.

• Exchanges / VASP

  None

  Operating a crypto exchange or VASP is illegal under the 2018 BCT directive. A draft VASP licensing bill under parliamentary committee review would introduce conditional exchange licenses with mandatory KYC and local-presence requirements, but has not been enacted.

• Token Offerings

  None

  Tunisia has no ICO, STO, or token-issuance framework. Token sales are not classified or permitted under any existing or proposed securities legislation; they fall under the general prohibition on unauthorized virtual-currency activities.

• Custody

  None

  No custody-specific framework for crypto assets exists. Holding client crypto is implicitly illegal under the 2018 ban; no qualified-custodian, segregation, proof-of-reserves, or insurance rules have been issued. The draft legislation does not address custody specifically.

• DeFi

  None

  DeFi protocols and front-ends are not addressed by any Tunisian regulation. All decentralized trading, lending, and yield activities involving crypto assets are prohibited under the 2018 BCT directive's blanket ban; there is no enforcement action specifically targeting DeFi protocols documented to date.

• Tax

  None

  Tunisia has no operative crypto tax framework. Because crypto is illegal, profits are legally treated as proceeds of unauthorized activity subject to confiscation rather than capital-gains or income taxation. The draft VASP bill proposes a progressive capital gains tax regime contingent on legalization.

Key points: crypto & digital assets in Tunisia

1. 012018 BCT Prohibition

   In January 2018 the Central Bank of Tunisia issued a formal directive categorizing all virtual currencies as unauthorized, criminalizing trading, payments, exchange services, and advertising without state authorization; penalties reach 5 years' imprisonment and fines exceeding 100,000 TND. The ban was grounded in foreign-exchange controls and AML concerns.

   bct.gov.tn ainvest.com

2. 02New Foreign Exchange Code (2026 draft)

   A draft Foreign Exchange Code submitted by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament would repeal the 1976 forex law and introduce first-time legal recognition of 'crypto-assets' as a defined category. Residents would be required to declare and repatriate crypto holdings above BCT-set thresholds; a strict sanctions regime (fines + up to 3 years' imprisonment for non-declaration) would apply.

   maitre-haifaguedhami.me en.africanmanager.com launchbaseafrica.com

3. 03BCT Regulatory Sandbox

   Since approximately 2020 the BCT has operated a regulatory sandbox permitting a small number of fintechs to test blockchain-based payments, remittances, and supply-chain traceability under strict BCT oversight; this is the only legal pathway for private-sector blockchain experimentation.

   ainvest.com bct.gov.tn

4. 04Draft VASP Licensing Bill

   Parliamentary committees are reviewing a separate bill to decriminalize crypto possession and create a licensed VASP regime (conditional exchange licenses, mandatory on-shore KYC, progressive capital gains tax). A phased timeline has been discussed: framework by 2026, sandbox expansion in 2026, pilot exchanges by 2027, full retail access by 2028, but no bill has been enacted as of May 2026.

   ainvest.com lightspark.com

5. 05e-Dinar CBDC (internal PoC only)

   The BCT developed an internal proof-of-concept e-Dinar with Tunisian Post and DigiCash under the Digital Tunisia 2025 initiative. The BCT officially denied that any formal CBDC test launch had taken place; no public pilot or live issuance exists as of mid-2026.

   ledgerinsights.com cointelegraph.com cbdctracker.org

6. 06FATF / AML Oversight

   The Tunisian Financial Analysis Committee (CTAF) enforces AML/CFT rules. Tunisia was removed from the FATF grey list in 2023 after strengthening its AML regime; the 2018 crypto ban has been partly justified as an AML/capital-flight control measure.

   bct.gov.tn finances.gov.tn

Sources

1. 1.bct.gov.tn/bct/siteprod/index.jsp?la=AN
2. 2.finances.gov.tn/fr/loi_finance
3. 3.maitre-haifaguedhami.me/actualites/new-foreign-exchange-code-tunisia-2026
4. 4.en.africanmanager.com/new-foreign-exchange-code-what-parliament-proposes-to-government/
5. 5.launchbaseafrica.com/2025/12/04/tunisia-scraps-50-year-forex-rule-to-retain-tech-talent-an
6. 6.ainvest.com/news/tunisia-crypto-ban-faces-potential-shift-regulatory-sandbox-2506
7. 7.ledgerinsights.com/tunisia-issues-central-bank-digital-currency/
8. 8.cointelegraph.com/news/tunisian-central-bank-denies-reports-of-an-e-dinar-digital-curre
9. 9.cbdctracker.org/currency/tunisia-e-dinar
10. 10.africanmanager.com/change-crypto-monnaie-et-paypal-la-bct-propose-une-liberte-surveillee
11. 11.lightspark.com/knowledge/is-crypto-legal-in-tunisia