Tanzania vs United States

Tanzania's regulatory stance on crypto is evolving. The Bank of Tanzania warned against crypto in 2019, but the 2024 Finance Act introduced a 3% withholding tax on digital asset transactions — Tanzania's first legal recognition of crypto. A December 2024 High Court ruling held that taxed crypto transactions cannot be deemed unlawful. No comprehensive regulatory framework exists yet.

The United States has the world's most complex crypto regulatory landscape, with overlapping federal and state jurisdictions. The SEC regulates crypto securities and has pursued enforcement actions against exchanges and token issuers. The CFTC oversees crypto derivatives and considers Bitcoin a commodity. FinCEN applies BSA requirements to crypto exchanges as money service businesses. The IRS taxes crypto as property: short-term gains at income tax rates (10-37%), long-term gains at 0-20%. New 1099-DA broker reporting rules take effect from 2025. Multiple states have their own requirements, with New York's BitLicense being the most stringent.