Ecuador vs Guatemala
Crypto regulation comparison
Ecuador
Guatemala
Partially Regulated
No Regulation
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.
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
Unclear
Tax Type
Unclear
Tax Rate
N/A
Tax Rate
N/A
Exchanges
Yes
Exchanges
Yes
Mining
Yes
Mining
Yes
Regulator
Banco Central del Ecuador, Superintendencia de Bancos
Regulator
Banguat (Banco de Guatemala), SIB
Stablecoin Rules
No specific stablecoin regulation
Stablecoin Rules
No stablecoin-specific regulation
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
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