Cryptocurrency operates in a legal gray area in Guyana without specific legislation explicitly prohibiting or regulating virtual assets. The government has not licensed any cryptocurrency trading platforms and currently lacks a formal pathway for companies to be recognized as crypto entities. According to the Financial Intelligence Unit's 2023 risk assessment, while Guyana does not have any licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider operations domestically, the country has recognized that cryptocurrencies present money laundering and terrorist financing risks (1).
Guyana's Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has stated the country is not ready to regulate or facilitate cryptocurrency transactions, emphasizing that significant financial reforms must come first. The government is working to modernize financial services before considering cryptocurrency adoption. Jagdeo stressed that the financial sector must evolve to support the nation's economic growth and avoid becoming a bottleneck to the massive expansion occurring in the real sector (2).
"Once we get to that level of complexity, then I think we can layer it on with things like crypto, provided the appropriate safeguards are found and instituted."
Under the AML/CFT Amendment Bill 2023, Guyana proposed a temporary ban on Virtual Asset Service Providers until 2025 to address regulatory gaps. Financial institutions have indicated their policy prohibits accounts for and wire transfers to or from VASPs, though customers can purchase cryptocurrency via VISA card transactions through international exchanges. Combined money laundering and terrorist financing threat ratings across virtual asset channels show a general tendency of high to very high risk driven by anonymity features, cross-border portability, and accessibility to criminal networks (1).
Source:
https://fiu.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Risk-Assessment-Virtual-Assets-and-VASPs.pdf
https://oilnow.gy/featured/major-financial-overhaul-needed-before-guyana-can-introduce-cryptocurrency/
Last updated: 18-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
