Centralized exchange in Chad

The CEMAC measure restricting crypto-assets is Décision COBAC D-2022/071 du 6 mai 2022, issued by COBAC and binding only COBAC-supervised institutions, and a dedicated PSAN licence exists under art. 144 of Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF granted by COSUMAF rather than BEAC.

No BEAC circular on crypto-assets exists; the CEMAC measure is Décision COBAC D-2022/071 du 6 mai 2022, and the real BEAC Instruction n° 001/GR/2022 concerns declaration of import domiciliation in the extractive sector.

The CEMAC crypto measure is Décision COBAC D-2022/071 du 6 mai 2022, which prohibits only COBAC-supervised institutions from acquiring, holding, transferring or converting crypto-assets and leaves private persons in CEMAC free to hold and use them.

Virtual-asset service providers are licensable rather than banned in Chad: art. 144 of Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF requires a COSUMAF agrément for PSAN activity and art. 42 of Règlement n° 02/24/CEMAC/UMAC/CM conditions PSAV activity on prior agrément, with Décision COBAC D-2022/071 closing only the regulated banking channel.

No instrument numbered R-2023/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/04 exists; the CEMAC virtual-asset framework rests on Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF du 21 juillet 2022 and the COSUMAF Règlement Général of 23 May 2023, both administered by COSUMAF rather than BEAC.

Authorisation for virtual-asset activity in CEMAC comes from COSUMAF under art. 144 of Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF and the COSUMAF Règlement Général of 23 May 2023, and BEAC has issued no virtual-asset instrument of any kind.

Custody of digital assets for third parties is a licensed activity binding in Chad: art. 160 of Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF du 21 juillet 2022 lists conservation d'actifs numériques pour le compte de tiers among PSAN services and art. 144 requires a prior COSUMAF agrément, while COSUMAF has adopted no PSAN implementing instruction, fixed no minimum capital and granted zero agréments. Décision COBAC D-2022/071 du 6 mai 2022 separately bars COBAC-supervised institutions from holding or converting crypto-assets.

No CEMAC or Chadian instrument sets client-asset segregation rules specific to digital assets; the cantonnement obligation in Règlement n° 04/18/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 21 décembre 2018 covers payment-service funds only, and the COSUMAF Règlement Général of 23 May 2023 leaves PSAN custody arrangements to a future implementing instruction.

CEMAC law regulates digital-asset custody through the PSAN category rather than a 'qualified custodian' concept: art. 1 of the COSUMAF Règlement Général of 23 May 2023 defines the prestataire de services sur actifs numériques as including conservation d'actifs numériques, and COSUMAF rather than BEAC is the competent authority.

No BEAC circular restricts cryptocurrency in Chad; the 2022 instrument is Décision COBAC D-2022/071 du 6 mai 2022, addressed to COBAC-supervised banks, financial establishments, microfinance institutions, payment institutions and bureaux de change, and the GABAC 2023 mutual evaluation records that virtual-asset service providers were neither regulated nor supervised in Chad at the time of the on-site visit.

Operating a virtual-asset business in Chad requires a COSUMAF agrément under article 144 of Règlement n° 01/22/CEMAC/UMAC/CM/COSUMAF du 21 juillet 2022 and the Règlement Général COSUMAF du 23 mai 2023; COSUMAF has issued no PSAN implementing instruction and no agrément, and Décision COBAC D-2022/071 closes the banking channel, so an unlicensed operator acts outside the law while a lawful licensing route exists on paper.

Chad's AML/CFT obligations rest on directly applicable CEMAC règlements rather than on a national statute: Règlement n° 02/24/CEMAC/UMAC/CM du 20 décembre 2024 replaced Règlement n° 01/CEMAC/UMAC/CM du 11 avril 2016, and Chad's financial intelligence unit, the Agence Nationale d'Investigation Financière, was instituted by Décret n° 07-107 du 2 février 2007. Neither a Chadian Loi n° 004/PR/2020 nor a Loi n° 006/PR/2010 on money laundering appears in the GABAC 2023 mutual evaluation of Chad or in any legal register.

Establishing a business relationship.

Carrying out occasional transactions above a certain threshold (e.g., EUR 1,000 equivalent for VASPs, as per FATF guidance).

Evidence fact td.aml.identification-and-verification-of-customer not found (may have been renamed).

Identification of Beneficial Owners: Take reasonable measures to understand the ownership and control structure of the customer and identify the natural persons who ultimately own or control the customer. This often involves identifying individuals holding 25% or more of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising control.

Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor the business relationship, including scrutiny of transactions undertaken throughout the course of that relationship, to ensure that the transactions are consistent with the VASP's knowledge of the customer, their business, and risk profile.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD): Apply EDD for higher-risk categories, which would typically include:

Virtual-asset service providers operating in Chad file suspicious transaction reports with the Agence Nationale d'Investigation Financière, instituted by Décret n° 07-107 du 2 février 2007, under Règlement n° 02/24/CEMAC/UMAC/CM du 20 décembre 2024, which lists PSAV among assujettis at article 6(e) and requires ten-year record retention at article 39.

The CEMAC crypto measure of 6 May 2022 is Décision COBAC D-2022/071, taken by the Commission Bancaire de l'Afrique Centrale and not by BEAC, and it binds only COBAC-supervised institutions — banks, financial establishments, microfinance institutions, payment institutions and bureaux de change — barring them from acquiring, holding, transferring, converting or booking crypto-assets and requiring them to detect such operations and report them to COBAC and BEAC. It creates no offence for the Chadian public, so holding, trading, exchanging and mining crypto-assets are not criminalised in Chad; since 20 December 2024 virtual-asset service providers are AML/CFT assujettis under article 6(e) of Règlement n° 02/24/CEMAC/UMAC/CM.

Legal Basis: United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions are binding on all UN member states, including Chad. Chad is required to implement these resolutions into its national law. UN sanctions typically target specific individuals, entities, and groups involved in terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or specific conflict zones.

Legal Basis: OFAC administers and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions programs primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. OFAC sanctions have extraterritorial reach, meaning they can apply to non-U.S. persons if their activities involve a "U.S. nexus" (e.g., using U.S. dollar clearing, U.S.-based technology, or engaging with U.S. persons).

Legal Basis: The European Union implements its own autonomous sanctions regimes, often complementing UN sanctions, and has extraterritorial reach for EU persons and entities. EU sanctions are typically imposed through Council Decisions and Regulations.