Overview
- President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19 on January 16, creating a regulated category of entities that can combine token operations with banking and payment services.
- Cryptobanks must be joint‑stock companies with residency in the state‑run High‑Tech Park and be entered in a dedicated register maintained by the National Bank of Belarus.
- The entities will operate as non‑bank financial institutions under dual supervision by the HTP supervisory board and the central bank.
- Compliance obligations include capital adequacy, risk management, anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorist‑financing controls, and consumer‑protection standards.
- The framework follows recent steps to steer activity to domestic platforms, including December 2025 blocks on several foreign exchanges, with officials indicating first licenses could arrive within six months after implementing rules are set.