Is crypto legal in Cameroon?

Crypto is not legal tender in Cameroon, and regulated banks are barred from dealing in it as of October 2026. Cameroon belongs to the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), so its crypto rules come mostly from regional bodies: the central bank BEAC and the banking commission COBAC. Those rules target financial institutions, and there is no licensing regime for crypto firms.

Is bitcoin legal in Cameroon?

Bitcoin has no legal status as money in Cameroon. The CEMAC currency is the CFA franc, issued by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). At a fintech forum in Douala in January 2024, BEAC's director general of operations said cryptocurrencies were not yet part of the central bank model. BEAC worried that buying crypto could drain the region's foreign currency reserves and weaken the CFA franc, Business in Cameroon reported.

The regional market regulator COSUMAF also left crypto out of its rulebook in August 2022, according to the same report.

Is crypto banned in Cameroon?

For banks and other supervised institutions, yes. On May 6, 2022, COBAC held an extraordinary session and restated a ban on crypto-asset activity in the CEMAC zone, which covers Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. The move followed the Central African Republic's April 2022 law giving bitcoin an official role, which BEAC's governor said could challenge regional monetary agreements. For that episode's closest parallel, see is bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador.

COBAC said institutions it supervises, and their technical partners, may not subscribe to or hold crypto for themselves or for clients, may not exchange or convert it, and may not settle crypto deals in CFA francs or foreign currency. They also may not use bitcoin to value their assets. COBAC set up a system to identify and report crypto transactions, citing financial stability and the safety of customer deposits.

Is crypto trading legal in Cameroon?

The sources reviewed describe a ban aimed at regulated institutions, not a law that makes it a crime for individuals to own crypto. Journal du Cameroun noted the COBAC communiqué did not clearly say whether every rule applies to individuals or only to supervised firms. In practice, the ban means Cameroonian banks should not process crypto purchases, which leaves little room for licensed local trading.

Policy may be shifting. From February 23 to 27, 2026, BEAC and the IMF held a seminar in Yaoundé with COBAC, COSUMAF and the anti-money laundering body GABAC to work toward a harmonised and secure framework for crypto-assets and to study central bank digital currencies, FinDev Gateway reported. No text had been published by October 2026. For regional comparisons, read crypto regulation around the world.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the regulator or a qualified professional for your own situation.