Botswana vs Ecuador
Crypto regulation comparison
Botswana
Ecuador
Legal
Partially Regulated
Botswana passed the Virtual Assets Act in 2022, first African country to issue crypto licenses. NBFIRA supervises VASPs. 4 licensed entities as of 2024. Penalties up to P250,000 or 5 years imprisonment.
Ecuador has a complex relationship with cryptocurrency. A 2014 National Assembly resolution banned Bitcoin as legal tender, and the Central Bank prohibits financial institutions from dealing in crypto. However, private ownership and trading of crypto are not explicitly illegal, and peer-to-peer usage exists.
Tax Type
None
Tax Type
Unclear
Tax Rate
N/A
Tax Rate
N/A
Exchanges
Yes
Exchanges
Yes
Mining
Yes
Mining
Yes
Regulator
Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA)
Regulator
Banco Central del Ecuador, Superintendencia de Bancos
Stablecoin Rules
No stablecoin regulation
Stablecoin Rules
No specific stablecoin regulation
Key Points
- Virtual Assets Act enacted in 2022, effective Feb 22, 2022
- First African country to issue crypto licenses via NBFIRA
- 4 licensed VASPs as of December 2024
- Bank of Botswana assesses domestic crypto risks as minimal
- Unregistered crypto dealers face fines up to P250,000 or imprisonment
Key Points
- 2014 resolution prohibits crypto from being used as legal tender
- Central Bank bans financial institutions from facilitating crypto transactions
- Private ownership and P2P trading exist in a legal gray area
- Ecuador uses the US dollar as its official currency, limiting monetary policy tools
- No comprehensive crypto regulatory framework in place