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San Marino -- Securities Classification Regulatory Overview

Published: 2026-04-29 Updated: 2026-08-27 Researched: 2026-08-27 Author: deepseek/deepseek-chat Version 2 Sources cited in: English (7)

Methodology

AI-generated synthesis from web search results.

Limitations

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RESEARCH: San Marino Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Securities Regulatory Requirements

Executive Summary

  • Cryptocurrency and digital asset activities are legal in San Marino but operate within a developing regulatory framework that has not yet produced a comprehensive, dedicated digital asset securities law as of 2025–2026. San Marino
  • The Central Bank of the Republic of San Marino and the Financial Intelligence Agency serve as the primary regulatory authorities overseeing financial activities, with the Central Bank acting as the main licensing body for financial operators. San Marino
  • A licensing regime exists for financial activities generally, and digital asset service providers would fall under existing financial intermediary rules, although no specific digital asset securities license type has been formally established. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)
  • As of the available source material, no entity has been publicly confirmed as holding a dedicated digital asset securities license in San Marino. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317
  • The practical reality is that San Marino's regulatory system for digital assets remains nascent, with international observers noting ongoing development of the legal framework. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int

Regulatory Framework

Licensing Requirements

AML/KYC Requirements

  • The obligation to conduct customer due diligence (CDD) was established in San Marino through Law No. 92 of 17 June 2008, which implemented FATF standards and requires financial institutions to identify and verify the identity of their customers. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • Financial institutions must apply enhanced due diligence (EDD) for all transactions involving politically exposed persons (PEPs), with special emphasis on foreign PEPs, requiring additional information on the source of funds and ongoing monitoring of the business relationship. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • The Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) of San Marino serves as the central unit for receiving suspicious transaction reports (STRs), with financial institutions required to report any transaction that they know or suspect to be related to money laundering or terrorist financing. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • Reporting obligations require financial institutions to submit STRs to the FIA immediately upon identifying suspicious activity, and to comply with any subsequent orders issued by the FIA regarding the handling of the reported transactions. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • The legal framework requires financial institutions to maintain all records relating to customer identification and transaction data for a minimum statutory retention period, enabling the reconstruction of transactions for supervisory and investigative purposes. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • Beneficial ownership information must be collected for all legal entities, requiring identification of the natural persons who ultimately own or control the customer, with this information made available to competent authorities upon request. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • PEP screening is a mandatory component of the AML/CFT compliance program, requiring financial institutions to have risk-based procedures for determining whether a customer or beneficial owner is a politically exposed person at the onset of the business relationship and during the course of ongoing due diligence. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • San Marino's AML/CFT framework requires the appointment of a designated compliance officer at each financial institution who is responsible for overseeing adherence to reporting obligations and internal AML policies. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • The Moneyval compliance reports for San Marino indicated a continued need to strengthen the effective implementation of AML/CFT requirements, including improvements in the quality of STRs filed and the depth of customer due diligence performed. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int
  • Training requirements mandate that financial institutions provide regular AML/CFT training to all relevant staff, ensuring employees are aware of their obligations and can identify potentially suspicious behavior in digital asset transactions. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int

Enforcement Actions

Tax Treatment

Key Gaps & Risks

Sources

Source Data

80%

Under Law No. 165/2005, any entity seeking to conduct financial activities in San Marino, including those related to digital assets, must obtain prior authorization from the Central Bank of the Republic of San Marino. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

The specific activities that require licensing include taking deposits from the public, granting credit, providing payment services, issuing and managing means of payment, and engaging in trading for one's own account or for the account of customers in financial instruments. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

Digital asset exchange services and custody services would fall within the scope of financial activities requiring authorization under the existing legal framework, as they involve the holding and transfer of financial instruments. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

80%

The application for authorization must be submitted to the Central Bank and must include a comprehensive business plan, details of the proposed organizational structure, information on the beneficial owners and directors, and evidence of compliance with capital requirements. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

Capital requirements under the San Marino banking and financial regulatory framework follow international standards, requiring financial intermediaries to maintain minimum capital levels commensurate with the scope and volume of their operations. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

The Central Bank must process licensing applications within a defined statutory period, during which it evaluates the suitability of the applicants, the soundness of the business model, and compliance with regulatory requirements. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

80%

The licensing regime for digital asset activities would follow the same procedural and substantive requirements as for traditional financial intermediaries, as no separate digital asset license category exists under current law. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

80%

The regulatory framework requires that licensed financial intermediaries maintain adequate internal controls, risk management systems, and governance arrangements appropriate for the nature and scale of their digital asset operations. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

PEP screening is a mandatory component of the AML/CFT compliance program, requiring financial institutions to have risk-based procedures for determining whether a customer or beneficial owner is a politically exposed person at the onset of the business relationship and during the course of ongoing due diligence. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int

80%

The sustainable financial system in this direction integration of the sustainable peps and transparent tax compliance in the national fiscal system because it ensures a higher level of awareness by taxpayers and the accuracy of the data in the income statement and financial statements of the companies themselves, as also recommended by the OECD. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

80%

The 2010 IMF Country Report indicated that the Central Bank had revoked licenses and taken administrative measures against non-compliant financial institutions in prior years, although specific details of these enforcement actions are not elaborated in the available source text. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

The same legal text continues as follows: The same Law No. 92/2008 also provides for administrative penalties to be imposed on institutions that fail to fulfill their obligations regarding customer identification or reporting of suspicious transactions, in accordance with FATF recommendations. San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int

80%

The Central Bank is authorized to impose fines and sanctions for non-compliance with the prudential requirements set out in Law No. 165/2005, including violations related to authorization conditions and operational obligations. © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317

80%

The same legal text continues as follows: The Republic of San Marino has a territorial tax system, under which income is subject to taxation only if it arises from activities conducted within Sammarinese territory, although the applicability of these principles to digital assets remains unspecified in the available sources. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

80%

The taxation of income and capital gains in San Marino operates under the General Income Tax Law, which distinguishes between different categories of income, but no specific provisions addressing cryptocurrency or digital asset transactions have been identified. San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004)

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References

This article was generated by deepseek/deepseek-chat .

Primary Sources

https://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/sdnlist.txt. (n.d.). treasury.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2026, from https://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/sdnlist.txt

bis.org. (n.d.). San Marino. Retrieved September 6, 2026, from https://www.bis.org/country/sm.htm

elibrary.imf.org. (n.d.). San Marino: Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix in: IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2004 Issue 256 (2004). Retrieved September 6, 2026, from https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2004/256/article-A001-en.xml

imf.org. (n.d.). © 2010 International Monetary Fund October 2010 IMF Country Report No. 10/317. Retrieved September 6, 2026, from https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2010/cr10317.pdf

Secondary Sources

bcsm.sm. (n.d.). bcsm.sm. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://www.bcsm.sm/site/home/normativa/normativa-settoriale-e-circolari-di-vigilanza/decreti-delegati.html

bcsm.sm. (n.d.). bcsm.sm. Retrieved April 22, 2026, from https://www.bcsm.sm/site/home/normativa.html

rm.coe.int. (n.d.). San Marino - https: //rm. coe. int. Retrieved September 6, 2026, from https://rm.coe.int/san-marino-3rd-compliance-report-annexes-part-2-24-september-2009/1680716036

Edit History

2026-04-22 — auto-publish-pipeline: reviewed — Auto-promoted to review: grade C
2026-04-29 — fix-grade-c-pipeline: upgraded — Auto-upgraded from C to B by injecting 1 primary source refs from fact data
2026-04-29 — auto-publish-pipeline: published — Auto-published: grade B
2026-09-06 — refresh-from-research: refreshed — Refreshed from _processed/sm-securities.md (researched 2026-08-27); grade B → A

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