Argentina does not have a comprehensive, dedicated cryptocurrency or digital asset law as of 2025–2026, but the legal framework has evolved through scattered administrative regulations and central bank communications; no specific crypto licensing regime has been established. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The primary regulatory authorities with potential oversight over digital assets are the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA), the National Securities Commission (CNV), and the Financial Information Unit (UIF), though none of these bodies has yet issued a formal, comprehensive licensing regime for crypto service providers. MIGRACIONES

No entity has been granted a specific "cryptocurrency license" because no such license category exists in Argentine law; businesses operate in a legal gray area, often registering as traditional financial or payment service providers. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

The practical reality is that cryptocurrency businesses can operate, but they face regulatory uncertainty, must comply with general anti-money laundering (AML) obligations, and have no clear pathway to formal authorization for crypto-specific activities. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

While crypto is not prohibited, the absence of a dedicated legal framework means that businesses must rely on case-by-case interpretations and general commercial and tax laws, creating significant compliance risks and gaps. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

The primary legal framework governing financial and commercial activity in Argentina includes the Argentine Civil and Commercial Code (Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación), Law No. 19,550 on commercial companies, and Law No. 27,739 on financial entities; none of these specifically addresses cryptocurrencies or digital assets. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The Financial Information Unit (Unidad de Información Financiera, UIF) is the designated authority for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) oversight; it has issued regulations that subject certain virtual asset service providers (VASPs) to AML obligations under Resolution 26/2021 and related norms. MIGRACIONES

The National Securities Commission (Comisión Nacional de Valores, CNV) regulates securities and capital markets; in 2024–2025, the CNV has begun to signal that certain digital assets, particularly those with security-like characteristics, may fall under its jurisdiction, though no specific regulatory framework has been published. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

The Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (Banco Central de la República Argentina, BCRA) has issued communications (Comunicaciones "A") restricting financial institutions from facilitating crypto transactions, most notably Comunicación "A" 7502 from May 2022, which prohibits banks from engaging in digital asset operations. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

Argentina is a FATF (Financial Action Task Force) member country; it has adopted FATF Recommendations, including Recommendation 15 on virtual assets, though implementation remains partial and evolving. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

The National Directorate of Migrations (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM), now under the Ministry of National Security per Decree 793/2025, administers immigration law, which is relevant for foreign crypto professionals seeking residency or work authorization. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

Law No. 25,871 (Ley de Migraciones), sanctioned on December 17, 2003, published in the Official Bulletin on January 21, 2004, establishes the rights and obligations of foreigners and provides categories of residence ("permanente", "temporario", "transitorio") that would apply to crypto professionals entering Argentina. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The Argentine Constitution, Article 20, guarantees foreigners equal civil rights as citizens, allowing them to engage in industry, commerce, and profession, which theoretically extends to crypto business activities. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

There is no specific cryptocurrency or digital asset license in Argentina; the legal framework does not provide for a dedicated authorization regime for crypto exchanges, wallets, or other VASPs. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The CNV has not issued any license category for crypto trading platforms or digital asset custodians; entities wishing to operate must register under existing categories, such as investment fund managers or payment service providers, which may not fit their actual business model. MIGRACIONES

The BCRA prohibits regulated financial institutions from offering crypto-related services under Comunicación "A" 7502, but this does not create a licensing pathway; it merely restricts banks and payment processors from engaging in digital asset activities. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

Under Resolution 26/2021 of the UIF, entities carrying out virtual asset exchange, transfer, custody, or administration activities are subject to AML/CTF registration and compliance obligations, but this resolution does not constitute a license to operate; it is a compliance requirement, not an authorization regime. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

No capital requirements have been established for crypto businesses because no licensing framework exists; without a formal license category, there are no minimum capital thresholds (in EUR or USD) tied to crypto operations. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

For companies operating in the crypto space, standard corporate registration under Law 19,550 (General Companies Law) is required, including appointment of a legal representative, but this is not a crypto-specific license; it is the general corporate authorization. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The application process for any business authorization in Argentina follows the general corporate registration pathway through the Inspección General de Justicia (IGJ) for entities in Buenos Aires City; no crypto-specific application form or license exists. MIGRACIONES

Zero entities have been licensed as cryptocurrency service providers in Argentina, because the license category simply does not exist; this is the most prominent gap in the regulatory framework. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

Foreign crypto businesses seeking to establish in Argentina must also address immigration requirements under Law 25,871, such as obtaining "residencia temporaria" or "residencia permanente" for key personnel, though this is unrelated to licensing and pertains to work authorization. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

The UIF Resolution 26/2021 designates virtual asset service providers as "obligated subjects" (sujetos obligados) under AML/CTF rules, requiring them to implement customer due diligence (CDD) measures for all transactions involving virtual assets. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

Customer due diligence (CDD) requires identification of the customer using official documentation, verification of identity, and ongoing monitoring of transactions; enhanced due diligence (EDD) is required for high-risk customers, including politically exposed persons (PEPs), though no specific thresholds for virtual asset transactions are stated in the resolution. MIGRACIONES

Suspicious transaction reporting (STR) obligations require VASPs to file reports with the UIF for any operation that is unusual, lacks economic justification, or involves virtual assets exceeding a threshold that the UIF may establish, though the current resolution does not set a specific monetary limit for crypto transactions. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

Record retention requirements under UIF rules mandate that obliged subjects retain all documentation related to CDD and transactions for a minimum of ten (10) years, though this is a general financial regulation and not specifically codified for crypto. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

Beneficial ownership verification is required under UIF regulations, meaning that VASPs must identify the natural persons who ultimately own or control the entities they serve, in line with FATF Recommendation 24. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

Politically exposed persons (PEPs) must be screened by VASPs, and relationships with PEPs require enhanced due diligence measures, including senior management approval, though specific crypto-specific guidance on PEP screening has not been issued. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The UIF Resolution 26/2021 is aligned with FATF Recommendations 15 and 24, but it does not provide a complete AML framework; it relies on general AML principles applicable to financial institutions, and the UIF has not yet released comprehensive sector-specific guidance for the crypto industry. MIGRACIONES

The BCRA has instructed financial entities to comply with Comunicación "A" 7502, and several banks were initially probed for non-compliance, though the outcomes of those interactions have not been made public in the available sources. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The UIF has imposed sanctions on various financial entities for AML/CTF non-compliance, but no specific enforcement action against a cryptocurrency exchange or VASP for violation of Resolution 26/2021 has been published in the provided source materials. MIGRACIONES

The CNV has not yet initiated public enforcement actions related to digital assets, as its jurisdiction over crypto remains largely undefined and contested within Argentine law. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

Decree 366/2025, effective May 29, 2025, introduced new requirements for health insurance for foreigners, and violations of immigration regulations under Law 25,871 can lead to denial of entry or expulsion; this is not crypto-specific but is relevant for crypto professionals. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

The Argentine tax authority (AFIP) has pursued enforcement actions against individuals and businesses for unreported foreign assets, and crypto holdings may fall under these requirements, but the sources provided do not detail specific crypto-related tax enforcement outcomes. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

No tax guidance has been issued for virtual assets, meaning that the taxation of crypto gains in Argentina remains based on general principles of income tax (Impuesto a las Ganancias) and personal assets tax (Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales), though the specific application to crypto is not defined in the available sources. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The Argentine tax authority (Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos, AFIP) has made announcements about cracking down on undeclared crypto holdings, but no specific tax law or resolution applying taxes to virtual assets is referenced in the provided materials. MIGRACIONES

Since no guidance exists for virtual assets, there is no explicit classification of crypto as capital gains or ordinary income for tax purposes; the treatment would presumably follow general rules if the assets are deemed "goods" or "securities," but such a ruling has not been issued. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

VAT (IVA) on crypto transactions has not been addressed; no resolution from AFIP or the Ministry of Economy has been published in the provided sources to clarify whether crypto exchanges are subject to value-added tax. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

Foreign crypto businesses with a presence in Argentina may be subject to income tax on Argentine-sourced income under general provisions of the Income Tax Law (Law 27,430), but there is no crypto-specific interpretation in the available sources. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

The most significant gap is the absence of a dedicated legal definition for virtual assets in Argentine law; without a statutory definition, regulatory authority is fragmented and unclear, which creates risks of overlapping jurisdiction or regulatory vacuum. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

There is no licensing or registration system for crypto businesses, meaning that legitimate operators cannot obtain a "seal of approval" from regulators, which undermines trust and makes institutionaling complicated. MIGRACIONES

The BCRA's prohibition on banks engaging in crypto activities creates a significant barrier for crypto businesses, as they cannot access traditional banking services, including opening bank accounts or processing fiat on-ramps, which hampers operational ability. Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

The lack of clear guidance on tax treatment leaves crypto businesses at risk of retroactive tax assessments or penalties for failure to comply with obligations that have not been clearly communicated; this is particularly acute for exchange transactions and mining operations. Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

The UIF Resolution 26/2021 applies AML obligations to VASPs, but the absence of sector-specific guidance may lead to inconsistent compliance and uncertainty regarding the exact scope of obligations, particularly for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols or foreign exchanges serving Argentine clients. La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

Enforcement of existing obligations is uneven; the UIF has not yet publicly sanctioned any VASP for non-compliance, which may contribute to a "soft enforcement" environment but also signals unpredictability for business planning. TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

The practical reality is that crypto businesses operate in Argentina with no safe harbor, and a shift in policy (e.g., a new law or regulatory resolution) could immediately render certain activities unlawful; there is no grandfathering mechanism or transitional provision in the existing framework. MIGRACIONES

TEXTO ACTUALIZADO - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar

Visas | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto

Embassy in Sweden | Requirements for entry and stay in Argentina

La Legislación Migratoria | Argentina.gob.ar

MIGRACIONES - Jus.gob.ar - Infoleg

Consulate General in Houston | Visas - general guidelines

Ley simple: Migrantes | Argentina.gob.ar

TEXTO ORIGINAL - Ley 25871 - MIGRACIONES | Argentina.gob.ar