Belarus | Crypto

The EU will bar Belarusian nationals and residents from owning, controlling or managing exchanges and other MiCA-regulated crypto firms from Aug. 25. The European Union will prohibit Belarusian nationals and residents from owning, controlling or managing crypto exchanges and other crypto service providers regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework starting Aug. 25.  The measure appears in Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1847, adopted Thursday to amend the EU’s sanctions framework targeting Belarus over its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The document expands an existing restriction that applied only to companies providing crypto wallet, account or custody services.  The decision enters into force on July 24, while the expanded crypto provision will apply from Aug. 25.  Read more

The rules allow banks to combine token activity with payments and financial services under central bank and tech park oversight. Belarus has introduced a legal framework for so-called “cryptobanks,” formally integrating digital asset activity into the country’s regulated banking system under direct state oversight. On Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19, defining how crypto banks may operate and what conditions they must meet to enter the market.  The decree positions cryptobanks as joint-stock companies authorized to combine token-based operations with traditional banking, payments and related financial services. Rather than creating a parallel sector for crypto, the framework ties digital asset activity to existing financial oversight mechanisms and infrastructure.  Read more

Belarus blocked major crypto exchange domains the same day Russia signaled it may ease regulated crypto access requirements while clamping down on the gray market. The Belarusian Ministry of Information has blocked access to crypto exchanges Bybit, OKX, Bitget, Gate, Bingx and Weex, it said on Thursday. According to a government announcement, the ministry has restricted access to the global domains of several crypto exchanges, citing “inappropriate advertising” under Article 511 of the Law on Mass Media. Cointelegraph reached out to the blocked exchanges but had not received responses at the time of publication. Read more