Bulgaria vs Guatemala
Crypto regulation comparison
Bulgaria
Guatemala
Legal
No Regulation
Cryptocurrency is legal in Bulgaria and subject to a flat 10% tax on capital gains, one of the lowest in the EU. Bulgaria adopted the EU's MiCA framework and requires crypto service providers to register. The country has a notable history with crypto due to a large government Bitcoin seizure in 2017.
Guatemala has no specific cryptocurrency regulation. The Banco de Guatemala has stated that crypto is not legal tender and not backed by the central bank, but has not banned its use. Crypto usage exists primarily for remittances from the US-based diaspora.
Tax Type
Capital gains
Tax Type
Unclear
Tax Rate
10%
Tax Rate
N/A
Exchanges
Yes
Exchanges
Yes
Mining
Yes
Mining
Yes
Regulator
NRA (National Revenue Agency), FSC (Financial Supervision Commission)
Regulator
Banguat (Banco de Guatemala), SIB
Stablecoin Rules
Regulated under EU MiCA framework
Stablecoin Rules
No stablecoin-specific regulation
Key Points
- Flat 10% personal income tax rate applies to crypto capital gains
- VASPs must register with the NRA for AML compliance
- MiCA framework applicable from December 2024
- Bulgaria reportedly seized approximately 200,000 BTC in a 2017 crime bust (status debated)
- No specific crypto legislation beyond EU directives and general tax law
Key Points
- No specific cryptocurrency legislation exists
- Banguat has warned that crypto is not legal tender and not government-backed
- Crypto is neither explicitly legal nor illegal for private use
- Remittance use case is significant given large diaspora in the US
- Tax treatment of crypto gains is unclear