Is crypto legal in Rwanda?

In Rwanda, Law nº 023/2026 of 25/05/2026 regulating virtual asset business was published in a special issue of the Official Gazette on 28 May 2026. Under its Article 40, it comes into force on the date of its publication. The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) publishes the Law on its website; the quotes below are taken from the English text of that publication and are attributed to the BNR as the publisher.

The Law names the Capital Market Authority of Rwanda as the Regulatory Authority for virtual asset business. The quotes cover that definition, the licence that a legal entity intending to provide virtual asset services must apply for, the rule that virtual assets are not recognised as legal tender in Rwanda, and the offence committed by a legal entity that provides virtual asset services without a licence. For that offence, Article 34 sets a fine of not less than FRW 70,000,000 and not more than FRW 100,000,000. The Law also says that virtual assets are not used directly as a means of payment unless the Central Bank, the BNR, authorises it.

The quotes are in English, one of the three languages of the Official Gazette, and carry the date on which we captured the document. Before you use a crypto platform in Rwanda, check that it holds a licence from the Capital Market Authority of Rwanda.