Kenya

Regulated Confirmed Verified August 25, 2026

Kenya has an active VASP licensing framework under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2025 and implementing regulations issued in 2026.

Capital Markets Authority / Central Bank of Kenya

Total Laws (incl. applicable EU-wide)

Effective Laws

At a Glance

Is holding crypto allowed?

Allowed

Is crypto trading allowed?

Regulated

Is P2P trading allowed?

Regulated

Are crypto payments allowed?

Regulated

Is crypto legal tender?

Is mining allowed?

Allowed

Is staking allowed?

Regulated

Is DeFi participation allowed?

Regulated

Are stablecoins allowed or regulated?

Regulated

Activity Status Matrix

Activity	Status	Details
Holding Crypto	Allowed	Is holding crypto allowed?
Crypto Trading	Regulated	Is crypto trading allowed?
P2P Trading	Regulated	Is P2P trading allowed?
Crypto Payments	Regulated	Are crypto payments allowed?
Legal Tender	No	Is crypto legal tender?
Mining	Allowed	Is mining allowed?
Staking	Regulated	Is staking allowed?
DeFi	Regulated	Is DeFi participation allowed?
Stablecoins	Regulated	Are stablecoins allowed or regulated?
NFTs	Allowed	Are NFTs allowed or regulated?
Token Launches	Regulated	Are token launches allowed?
Crypto Advertising	Regulated	Is crypto advertising allowed?
Banking Access	Regulated	Do crypto businesses have banking access?

Regulation Overview

Kenya’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2025 and 2026 Regulations establish licensing, governance, safeguarding, AML/CFT, disclosure and supervisory requirements. The competent regulator depends on the service category, with the Capital Markets Authority and Central Bank of Kenya playing central roles. Crypto is not Kenyan legal tender.

Tax Information

Crypto tax is governed by Kenya's national tax law, not by the crypto licensing framework. Classification depends on facts such as investment, trading, employment, mining, staking or business use; verify current filing, valuation and indirect-tax rules with Kenya Revenue Authority.

Individual Tax Treatment

Individuals should keep acquisition cost, disposal proceeds, wallet, exchange and local-currency valuation records. Gains, income, gifts and foreign-account reporting can receive different treatment; confirm the current position with Kenya Revenue Authority.

Business Tax Treatment

Businesses should apply normal corporate-tax, accounting, payroll and indirect-tax rules to crypto revenue, holdings and expenses. Licensing does not replace tax registration, invoicing, recordkeeping or reporting duties.

Kenya Revenue Authority

Business & Licensing

Covered service providers must obtain the licence, registration or approval required by Capital Markets Authority / Central Bank of Kenya; cross-border firms must verify whether passporting or local authorisation is available.

AML / KYC Requirements

Regulated providers must perform customer and beneficial-owner due diligence, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, recordkeeping and suspicious-transaction reporting under applicable AML/CFT rules.