Belarus has approved the launch and registration of its first crypto banks, marking the first practical step under a legal framework created earlier this year for institutions handling Bitcoin and other digital tokens. The banks have not yet been publicly named and must obtain accreditation from the National Bank of Belarus before beginning operations, according to reporting by Bitcoin Magazine citing Russian news agency Interfax.
New crypto-banking framework
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19 in January. The measure, titled “On Cryptobanks and Certain Issues of Control in the Field of Digital Tokens,” established the country’s formal legal basis for crypto banks.
The latest announcement came from Belarus’ High-Tech Park, a special tax and legal regime where digital-asset transactions are permitted. Its press service said the outcome of recent discussions was the launch and registration of the first crypto banks in the country’s history.
The institutions will operate under oversight from both High-Tech Park and the National Bank. Accreditation by the central bank remains a required step before they can start providing services. The available report did not identify the banks or specify the exact services they will offer.
A broader pro-crypto policy
The decision builds on Belarus’ longer-running effort to create a regulated environment for cryptocurrency activity. A 2017 decree legalized crypto mining and trading and temporarily exempted individuals from tax and declaration requirements on crypto income.
That exemption was extended through 2025 but has since been narrowed. Income earned through foreign platforms is now taxed at 13%, according to the source material.
Lukashenko has also repeatedly supported Bitcoin mining as a way to use surplus electricity. With his backing, the Mogilev region began preparing locations for mining farms in 2025. The president had supported the National Bank’s plan to establish crypto banks as early as September last year.
Dmitry Kalechits, first deputy director of the High-Tech Park supervisory board secretariat, said the new institutions could improve the flow of the financial ecosystem and encourage foreign investment in Belarus. The comment was reported by Interfax through a statement from the park’s press service.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar market data at 10:04 p.m. on September 25, 2026, showed Bitcoin at $83,820.048202442, down 0.61% over 24 hours but up 3.2% over seven days.
Other listed digital assets showed mixed-to-positive performance:
- Aethir (ATH): $0.0061506859, up 3.11% in 24 hours and 24.38% over seven days, as of 10:03 p.m.
- Comedian (BAN): $0.0680565597, up 4.16% in 24 hours and 0.14% over seven days, as of 10:03 p.m.
- RedStone (RED): $0.1730182152, up 7.61% in 24 hours and 18.4% over seven days, as of 10:04 p.m.
The market figures provide a contemporaneous snapshot of digital-asset prices, while Belarus’ announcement concerns the legal and institutional infrastructure being established around those assets.
