Niger has no dedicated legal framework for cryptocurrency or digital assets; the country's financial regulatory system, which operates under the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), has not issued specific cryptocurrency legislation as of 2025–2026 Niger | United States Trade Representative

There is no licensing regime for crypto service providers, and no entities have been licensed to conduct cryptocurrency activities in Niger; the absence of a legal framework means no authority has been designated to issue such licenses 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The political environment, following the 2023 military coup by the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP), has led to governance by decree and significant restrictions on civic space, but no digital asset regulations have been promulgated under this ruling structure 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Financial sector oversight is fragmented: the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Mines, and Ministry of Justice have roles in various economic sectors, but none has been assigned cryptocurrency oversight; labor and financial inspectors have been unable to operate normally since the coup 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The practical reality is that cryptocurrency activity exists in a legal vacuum: there are no explicit prohibitions, no registration requirements, no tax guidance, and no enforcement cases, but the state of emergency and restrictions on certain economic activities create significant uncertainty for any digital asset business 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger is a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), which provides the overarching regional financial framework; the U.S. and UEMOA have a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that covers economic cooperation, but this agreement does not address cryptocurrency or digital assets Niger | United States Trade Representative

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) serves as the regional central bank for UEMOA member states including Niger, and it has issued general guidance on financial services but no specific cryptocurrency regulations that apply in Niger Niger | United States Trade Representative

The primary governing document in Niger is the constitution, which was dissolved following the 2023 coup; the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP) now rules by decree, meaning that pre-existing financial laws remain in effect but no new financial legislation has been enacted since the coup 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Ministry of Public Function, Labor, and Employment is responsible for enforcing labor laws but has been unable to operate normally since the 2023 coup; this ministry does not have any mandate related to cryptocurrency or digital assets 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Ministry of Justice oversees judicial matters and military prosecutors investigate certain offenses, but there is no indication that any ministry or authority has been designated to regulate cryptocurrencies or digital assets 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The National Assembly reviews the state of emergency declaration every 90 days in the Diffa Region and parts of the Tahoua and Tillaberi Regions, indicating the political instability that affects all economic regulation, including any potential digital asset framework 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger's international standing: the country is not eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as of the current year, and its economic agreements with the United States do not include provisions for digital assets or financial technology Niger | United States Trade Representative

There is no evidence that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations have been implemented in Niger specifically regarding virtual assets; the country's financial intelligence framework remains tied to regional UEMOA structures, which have not issued public virtual asset guidance applicable to Niger 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The 2022 Country Report notes that Niger is a multiparty republic with a constitutional framework, but the 2023 coup replaced this with military rule by decree, fundamentally altering the legislative process for any financial regulation, including digital assets 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The National Police, under the Ministry of Interior, and the Gendarmerie, under the Ministry of National Defense, handle law enforcement, but neither has any stated function related to financial crimes involving cryptocurrency 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

No licensing regime exists for cryptocurrency or digital asset businesses in Niger; there is no law, decree, or regulation that establishes licensing requirements for virtual asset service providers, and no authority has been designated to issue such licenses 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Zero entities have been licensed to conduct cryptocurrency exchange, custody, wallet provision, or any other digital asset activity in Niger; this is a direct consequence of the absence of any legal framework for licensing 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP), which rules by decree, has not issued any decree establishing a licensing system for digital asset businesses since seizing power in 2023 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The dissolved constitution and pre-existing laws provided for economic freedoms but did not contain provisions for digital asset licensing; the current ruling body has not filled this legislative gap 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Application processes, timelines, and structural requirements for crypto licenses are non-existent; no government body has published procedures for obtaining authorization to conduct digital asset activities 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

For other financial sectors, the government requires formal registration and operating licenses, such as for mining operations which involve the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Justice conducting joint inspection visits; the same inter-ministerial approach has not been applied to any digital asset framework 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

A business seeking to operate a cryptocurrency enterprise in Niger would have no legal pathway to obtain authorization, no regulator to approach, and no compliance obligations to satisfy; the only relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Public Function, Labor, and Employment, are non-operational since the coup 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The state of emergency declared in Diffa, Tahoua, and Tillaberi Regions imposes restrictions on economic activities and movement, which would affect any business operation in those areas, including potential digital asset ventures 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The formal economy operates with a legal workweek of 40 hours and minimum wage requirements enforced by the Ministry of Public Function, Labor, and Employment, but these labor requirements apply generally and do not constitute a digital asset licensing framework 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger has not implemented specific Anti-Money Laundering (AML) or Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements for cryptocurrency or digital asset transactions; there are no published Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), or Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) requirements applicable to virtual asset service providers 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The general AML framework in Niger operates under regional UEMOA/BCEAO structures, but these have not issued specific guidance for digital assets; record retention requirements for virtual assets, beneficial ownership rules, and Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening obligations have not been defined for cryptocurrency businesses Niger | United States Trade Representative

The National Assembly reviews the state of emergency every 90 days in certain regions, and under the declared state of emergency in Diffa, Tillaberi, and Tahoua Regions, authorities have imposed restrictions on reporting and movement, but these restrictions do not include AML/KYC provisions for digital assets 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Central Service for the Fight against Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime (SCLCT/CTO) handles terrorism-related investigations and can detain suspects for 15 days, extendable once for an additional 15 days; this body investigates financial crimes including money laundering but has no published procedures for cryptocurrency-related investigations 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The judicial system requires that terror suspects be notified of their right to a lawyer within 24 hours of transfer to an SCLCT/CTO facility, and the law allows pretrial detention of 48 months for terrorism offenses; these provisions apply to financial crimes investigations but contain no digital asset-specific AML requirements 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Ministry of Justice and military prosecutors investigate allegations of abuses, including financial crimes, but there is no indication that these bodies have issued AML/KYC guidance for virtual assets or that they monitor cryptocurrency transactions 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) receives complaints about various abuses and operates as a public institution, but it has no role in AML/KYC enforcement for digital assets 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The government sends inter-ministerial teams from the ministries of Mines, Finance, Health, Environment, and Justice to inspect mining sites to collect mining taxes and monitor compliance; this coordination model has not been applied to any AML/KYC oversight of digital assets 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Approximately 90 percent of workers in Niger are in the informal sector, which presents significant challenges for any AML/KYC enforcement framework, as formal identification and financial documentation are not universally available 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Office of the Inspector General of Security Services investigates police and national guard abuses, and the inspector general of the army and gendarmerie investigates gendarmerie and military abuses; these offices have no published mandate or capacity for AML/KYC monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

No enforcement actions related to cryptocurrency or digital assets have been reported in Niger; there are no documented cases of fines, penalties, arrests, or prosecutions for violations of crypto-specific regulations because no such regulations exist 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The government has detained individuals for financial and political offenses, such as human rights activist and politician Alhassane Intinicar, who was arrested in June 2024 for "dissemination of data likely to disturb public order and undermine human dignity" and sentenced to one year in prison and fined $8,000, but this case involved social media statements about security force killings, not cryptocurrency activity 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Journalists have been arrested and detained for reporting critical of the CNSP, including Idrissa Soumana Maiga, chief editor of L'Enqueteur, who was arrested in April and later granted provisional release in July; these arrests relate to media freedom and censorship, not digital asset enforcement 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The CNSP suspended the BBC for reporting content with which it disagreed, and suspended some press organizations, demonstrating a pattern of censorship but no connection to cryptocurrency enforcement 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The government took steps to investigate abuses committed by armed nonstate actors and officials, with judicial authorities making efforts to investigate and prosecute abuses committed by armed groups; none of these investigations involve digital assets 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The CNDH implicated security forces in human rights abuses in the Tillaberi Region in 2020, and the Ministry of Justice and military prosecutors continued to investigate these allegations; these are human rights cases with no digital asset component 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

There were reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces in the Diffa and Tillaberi Regions, and armed terrorist groups including Boko Haram, ISIS in the Greater Sahara, and ISIS-West Africa attacked civilians and security forces; these security incidents do not involve cryptocurrency enforcement 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

A foiled coup attempt occurred on March 31, and the government continued to participate in campaigns against terrorist groups with Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria; these actions are security-focused and unrelated to digital asset regulation 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The government has not reported any seizures of cryptocurrency assets, freezing orders on digital wallets, or prosecution of individuals for crypto-related fraud, money laundering, or terrorist financing 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Labor violations, including wage and hour infractions and occupational safety issues in mining, have been documented, and the Ministry of Public Function, Labor, and Employment has been unable to enforce labor laws normally since the coup, but these enforcement gaps are not related to cryptocurrency 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

No tax guidance has been issued for virtual assets in Niger; there are no published rules on how cryptocurrency gains are classified for income tax, capital gains tax, or VAT purposes 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The government's tax collection efforts focus on traditional sectors, with inter-ministerial teams from the ministries of Mines, Finance, Health, Environment, and Justice conducting mining site visits to increase collection of mining taxes; no equivalent system exists for digital asset taxation 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The state of emergency and the post-coup governance structure have not produced any tax legislation addressing cryptocurrency or digital assets, and the CNSP has not issued decrees on this subject 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Market vendors held unobstructed local strikes to protest tax increases and high energy costs, demonstrating that tax policy affects economic activity, but these protests relate to traditional taxation and do not involve digital assets 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger's trade relationship with the United States, which totaled $101.7 million in goods and services trade in 2025, is governed by the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with UEMOA; this agreement contains no provisions for digital asset taxation or cross-border crypto transactions Niger | United States Trade Representative

The formal economy's tax system requires salaried workers in the formal sector to pay taxes, with minimum wages set by the government and adjusted in January, but there are no tax brackets or rates defined for cryptocurrency-derived income 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Approximately 90 percent of workers are in the informal sector, which presents inherent challenges for any tax collection system, and this informality extends to any potential digital asset activities that would likely operate outside the formal tax system 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Penalties for tax and labor violations exist under general law, with fines and imprisonment as possible outcomes, but these penalties have not been applied to cryptocurrency-related tax offenses due to the absence of a framework 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

No Value Added Tax (VAT) rules have been published for digital asset transactions, and there is no indication whether cryptocurrency exchanges or wallet services would be subject to VAT, exempt, or taxed at any specific rate 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The most significant gap is the complete absence of a legal framework for cryptocurrency and digital assets; no laws, decrees, or regulations define the legal status of virtual assets, and no authority has been designated to oversee this sector 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Political instability is a major risk: the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP) rules by decree following the 2023 coup, and the dissolved constitution means there is no legislative process for enacting digital asset laws; the government has also restricted freedom of expression and closed civic space, which may affect any business attempting to establish crypto operations 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The Ministry of Public Function, Labor, and Employment, which enforces labor laws, has been unable to operate normally since the coup, suggesting that other government ministries may also be non-functional, creating operational risks for any business seeking permits or approvals 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The state of emergency in the Diffa, Tillaberi, and Tahoua Regions imposes restrictions on movement and economic activities, and authorities can detain individuals without charge for 15 days for terror-related offenses, extended once for an additional 15 days; these security measures create an unpredictable environment for any digital asset business, particularly in those regions 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The conflict environment is severe: the Islamic State of Greater Sahara has increased attacks against civilians and government forces, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin has entrenched in the Tillaberi Region, and Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province conduct attacks in the Diffa Region; this insecurity poses physical and operational risks to businesses, including any cryptocurrency ventures 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The lack of a licensing regime means that a business operating in crypto would have no legal protection, no dispute resolution mechanisms, no regulatory clarity, and no recourse if the government decides to take action; the government has demonstrated willingness to arrest and detain individuals for activities it deems disruptive, creating a risk of arbitrary enforcement 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The absence of AML/KYC requirements for digital assets means that legitimate businesses cannot comply with international standards, which would make it difficult to access banking services, correspondent banking relationships, or international partners; this effectively blocks crypto businesses from integrating with the formal financial sector Niger | United States Trade Representative

The judicial system faces significant challenges: lengthy pretrial detention (up to 48 months for terrorism offenses), judicial inefficiency, limited investigative capacity, and staff shortages mean that any legal disputes involving digital assets would face enormous delays and uncertain outcomes 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

The absence of FATF-aligned virtual asset regulations means Niger does not meet international standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing through digital assets, which could lead to grey-listing or other international financial restrictions that affect all economic activity 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Since the 2023 coup, the status of the labor law is unclear, and other pre-existing laws may similarly be in question; the CNSP has not clarified which financial laws remain in force and which have been suspended, creating fundamental legal uncertainty 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Approximately 90 percent of the workforce operates in the informal sector, meaning that any digital asset business trying to formalize would face not only the absence of crypto-specific rules but also a broader economy where informality is the norm and government enforcement capacity is limited 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger is not eligible for AGOA, and U.S.-Niger trade has declined significantly, with U.S. goods exports down 51.0 percent in 2025; this declining economic relationship with the United States further isolates Niger's economy and reduces international pressure or incentives to adopt digital asset regulatory frameworks Niger | United States Trade Representative

Niger Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov

2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Niger

Niger | United States Trade Representative