Stablecoin issuer / redeemer in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Virtual assets, including fiat-backed and algorithmic stablecoins, are prohibited in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by article 22 bis of Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025, which amends Loi n° 22/068 du 27 décembre 2022, so no classification of stablecoins as e-money, payment tokens or securities arises under Congolese law.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo operates no licensing regime for stablecoin issuers because article 22 bis of Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025 prohibits virtual-asset activities and virtual-asset service providers; the only Congolese authorisation for issuing digital monetary value is the Banque Centrale du Congo agrément for electronic money institutions under articles 73, 74 and 108 of Loi n° 18/019 du 9 juillet 2018.

Applicable Framework (if classified as e-money): If a stablecoin issuer were classified as an "émetteur de monnaie électronique" (electronic money issuer), then the reserve requirements stipulated for e-money would apply.

Typically, e-money regulations in such jurisdictions require full backing (1:1) of the e-money issued by an equivalent amount of fiat currency, held in a segregated account with a licensed commercial bank. These funds are usually protected from claims by other creditors of the e-money issuer.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo imposes no reserve or backing requirement on stablecoin issuers because article 22 bis of Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025 prohibits virtual-asset activities and virtual-asset service providers outright; the only backing obligations in Congolese law attach to electronic money, a monetary claim on the issuer under article 3(23) of Loi n° 18/019 du 9 juillet 2018, supervised by the Banque Centrale du Congo.

No Congolese instrument numbered Loi n° 003/2018 exists, so it confers no redemption right; redeemability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo attaches to electronic money under Loi n° 18/019 du 9 juillet 2018 and BCC Instruction n° 24, and fiat-backed stablecoins carry no redemption right because article 22 bis of Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025 prohibits virtual assets.

Redeemability of electronic money in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rests on Loi n° 18/019 du 9 juillet 2018 relative aux systèmes de paiement et de règlement-titres and on Banque Centrale du Congo Instruction n° 24, and no Loi n° 003/2018 exists in the Congolese statute book to supply such provisions.

Regulator: Banque Centrale du Congo (BCC).

No Banque Centrale du Congo instrument numbered Règlement n° 004/2018 du 28 mars 2018 exists; authorisation of payment service providers and electronic money issuers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rests on Loi n° 18/019 du 9 juillet 2018 relative aux systèmes de paiement et de règlement-titres, whose articles 73, 74 and 108 vest the agrément power in the Banque Centrale du Congo, implemented by BCC Instruction n° 24 on electronic money and electronic money institutions.

General Stance: Given the DRC's cautious approach to even fiat-backed stablecoins, and the inherent volatility and lack of direct fiat backing for algorithmic stablecoins, it is highly improbable that they would be permitted to operate under any existing e-money framework. They would likely be considered high-risk and fall outside any permissible regulated activities, potentially even subject to warnings or prohibitions by the BCC. The BCC has generally warned against the risks associated with speculative cryptocurrencies.

Virtual-asset activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is prohibited, not unregulated: article 22 bis of Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025, amending Loi n° 22/068 du 27 décembre 2022, bans virtual-asset activities and virtual-asset service providers outright, so operating a cryptocurrency exchange or a crypto custody business in the country is unlawful rather than merely unlicensed.

Banque Centrale du Congo (BCC) (Central Bank of Congo)

Law No. 20/017 of 25 November 2020 on the regulation of payment services:

The general AML/CFT framework of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Loi n° 22/068 du 27 décembre 2022, which replaced Loi n° 04/016 du 19 juillet 2004, as amended by Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025; the amending law is crypto-specific, since its article 22 bis prohibits virtual-asset activities and virtual-asset service providers in the country.

The Cellule Nationale des Renseignements Financiers (CENAREF) is the Congolese financial intelligence unit responsible for receiving, analysing and transmitting suspicious transaction reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, and it is the central and sole structure for that purpose under Loi n° 22/068 du 27 décembre 2022.

Even in the absence of specific crypto regulations, any legitimate financial operation (or one seeking future legitimacy) should adhere to international AML/CFT best practices (e.g., FATF recommendations), including robust KYC procedures, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting. Failure to do so could lead to future legal issues or blacklisting.

Local Presence: General business laws would require any company operating in the DRC to have a registered local presence (e.g., a local office, local directors, registration with the relevant commercial registries).

Reference: The general position of the BCC can be found in various communiques and statements. For instance, the Communiqué of the Banque Centrale du Congo (BCC) dated December 14, 2021, warned the public against the use of cryptocurrencies, highlighting their lack of legal framework and associated risks. While a direct, stable URL to the specific communiqué can be elusive on the BCC's dynamic site, its content is widely reported and reflects the official position.

Loi n° 04/016 du 19 juillet 2004 was replaced by Loi n° 22/068 du 27 décembre 2022 and amended by Loi n° 25/048 du 1er juillet 2025, which is the operative Congolese AML/CFT/CPF statute; instead of extending FATF virtual-asset obligations to VASPs, its Article 22 bis prohibits virtual-asset activities and virtual-asset service providers in the DRC.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo levies no standalone capital gains tax; gains are absorbed into ordinary income or business profits, and since the direct-tax reform of Loi n° 23/053 du 30 novembre 2023 the DGI lists plus-values as one of six categories of income charged to the impot sur le revenu des personnes physiques, while company gains fall into taxable profit charged to the impot sur les societes at 30 per cent.