Is crypto legal in Syria?

Crypto is not legal tender in Syria, and the central bank considers trading it illegal as of October 2026. The Central Bank of Syria issued a public warning in August 2025 telling citizens not to deal in, invest in or trade digital currencies. No licensing system for crypto firms has been announced.

Is bitcoin legal in Syria?

No, according to the central bank. On August 19, 2025 the Central Bank of Syria published an awareness statement on its official channels. It said digital currencies are not supervised or licensed by any official authority, are not recognised as legal tender and are not issued by the bank, and that buying and selling them is illegal, Enab Baladi reported.

The bank listed the risks it saw: no legal protection, possible use in illicit activity, the chance of prosecution, losses that cannot be recovered, fraud, hacking and sharp price swings. The statement did not cite a specific law or set out penalties. For a look at those risks in general, see common crypto scams.

Is bitcoin illegal in Syria or just discouraged?

The central bank's language goes beyond a simple risk warning, because it calls trading illegal. Still, the sources reviewed do not point to a dedicated crypto law or a published penalty scale. That leaves crypto in a gray area where the central bank opposes it but the legal basis has not been spelled out in public.

Earlier in 2025 there was talk of the opposite approach. In January 2025 the Syrian Center for Economic Research proposed legalising bitcoin and digitising the Syrian pound, FXStreet reported. The proposal was not adopted, and the August 2025 warning shows the central bank took a different line.

Does Syria use bitcoin?

There is no official data on how many Syrians use bitcoin, but access to global platforms widened in 2025. For years, international sanctions made it hard for people in Syria to use global crypto platforms. After the US announced in May 2025 that it would lift sanctions on Syria, Binance said it would offer services to users in Syria, including spot trading, stablecoins and Binance Pay for cross-border remittances, Gulf Business reported. For background on sanctions and crypto, read what is OFAC crypto sanctions.

Availability on an exchange does not change Syrian law. The central bank's warning came two months after Binance's announcement, and Enab Baladi noted the tension between the two. For how other countries in the region treat crypto, see is crypto legal in Lebanon and is crypto legal in Jordan.

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