Cuba Announces Its Intentions to Define Guidelines for Crypto Regulation

by Felipe Erazo
  • The Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel has hinted in the last few months about the possibility of regulating cryptos.
Cuba Announces Its Intentions to Define Guidelines for Crypto Regulation

The Central Bank of Cuba (Banco Central de Cuba – BCC) has announced through its official gazette that it will define a set of rules to recognize and regulate Cryptocurrencies and the industry itself within the island. The paper also explains that the Cuban government will seek to establish guidelines to grant licenses to crypto-related providers.

“The Central Bank of Cuba, for reasons of socio-economic interest, may authorize the use of certain virtual assets in commercial transactions, and grant a license to virtual asset service providers for operations related to financial, exchange and collection or payment activities, in and from the national territory, in the terms established in Decree-Law No. 362 ‘Of the Institutions of the Banking and Financial System,’ of September 14, 2018, and from there apply to these subjects the provisions of the Decree-Law mentioned above, as appropriate,” the BCC detailed in the gazette.

That said, the central bank noted that the government would oversee and thus control the crypto-related operations to avoid any illicit activity considered under Cuban law. The paper released by the BCC adds: “Financial institutions and other legal entities can only use virtual assets among themselves and with natural persons, to carry out monetary-commercial operations, and for exchange and redemption; as well as to satisfy pecuniary obligations, when authorized by the Central Bank of Cuba, under the provisions of the previous section of this Resolution.”

Cuban Government and Its Interest in Cryptos

The BCC’s announcement does not come as a surprise at all as Miguel Díaz-Canel, the President of Cuba, has been throwing some darts by expressing his interest in cryptocurrencies.

At the end of 2020, a report released by a German media outlet, Deutsche Welle, highlighted that startups in the Island nation were using Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies to fill the gap created after Western Union closed more than 400 branches in the country amid financial restrictions.

The Central Bank of Cuba (Banco Central de Cuba – BCC) has announced through its official gazette that it will define a set of rules to recognize and regulate Cryptocurrencies and the industry itself within the island. The paper also explains that the Cuban government will seek to establish guidelines to grant licenses to crypto-related providers.

“The Central Bank of Cuba, for reasons of socio-economic interest, may authorize the use of certain virtual assets in commercial transactions, and grant a license to virtual asset service providers for operations related to financial, exchange and collection or payment activities, in and from the national territory, in the terms established in Decree-Law No. 362 ‘Of the Institutions of the Banking and Financial System,’ of September 14, 2018, and from there apply to these subjects the provisions of the Decree-Law mentioned above, as appropriate,” the BCC detailed in the gazette.

That said, the central bank noted that the government would oversee and thus control the crypto-related operations to avoid any illicit activity considered under Cuban law. The paper released by the BCC adds: “Financial institutions and other legal entities can only use virtual assets among themselves and with natural persons, to carry out monetary-commercial operations, and for exchange and redemption; as well as to satisfy pecuniary obligations, when authorized by the Central Bank of Cuba, under the provisions of the previous section of this Resolution.”

Cuban Government and Its Interest in Cryptos

The BCC’s announcement does not come as a surprise at all as Miguel Díaz-Canel, the President of Cuba, has been throwing some darts by expressing his interest in cryptocurrencies.

At the end of 2020, a report released by a German media outlet, Deutsche Welle, highlighted that startups in the Island nation were using Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies to fill the gap created after Western Union closed more than 400 branches in the country amid financial restrictions.

About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe Erazo
  • 1036 Articles
  • 41 Followers
About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe earned a degree in journalism at the University of Chile with the highest honour in the overall ranking, and he also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Communication. In addition, he has been working as a freelance writer and Forex/crypto analyst, with experience gained from several forex broker firms and crypto-related media outlets around the world. He has been involved in the world of online forex trading since 2010 and in the crypto sphere since 2015.
  • 1036 Articles
  • 41 Followers

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