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South America / Verified 2026-07-14

Is crypto legal in Argentina?

Legal

Cryptocurrency is legal to buy, hold, and trade in Argentina; it is not legal tender, but its use in private contracts is fully permitted. Since Law 27.739 (March 2024) and CNV General Resolution 1058/2025, any business acting as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (PSAV) — exchanges, custodians, brokers — must register in the CNV's PSAV registry and comply with AML/CFT rules enforced by the UIF; operating unregistered is illegal and carries fines up to ARS 100 million. Registration deadlines fell between July-September 2025, and the registrant base has since shrunk from ~160 to ~82 active PSAVs under stricter capital, tech, and cybersecurity requirements.

Tax treatment

Intangible/movable property (bien) — not currency; treated as a financial/capital asset for Ganancias purposes.

Crypto gains are taxed as second-category income under Impuesto a las Ganancias: individuals pay 5% on Argentine peso-denominated gains (no adjustment clause) or 15% on foreign-currency/foreign-source gains; companies pay progressive corporate rates. Crypto holdings must also be declared under the Bienes Personales wealth tax, and certain crypto-related services can attract IVA (VAT). A monthly reporting regime (RG 5804/2025) requires PSAV-registered exchanges/wallets to report user activity to ARCA (formerly AFIP), aligning with the OECD's CARF rollout in 2026.

Report gains as second-category income on the annual Ganancias return; declare crypto holdings at year-end value under Bienes Personales; capital losses on crypto sales are quarantined and can only offset future crypto gains (5-year carryforward). PSAV-registered exchanges now report transactions monthly to ARCA, and mining/staking/interest income is taxable on accrual.

Can banks handle crypto here?

BCRA Communication 'A' 7506 (2022) still bars regulated banks and payment service providers from directly offering crypto purchase, sale, or custody to customers. Customers can, however, freely transfer pesos from bank accounts to CNV-registered PSAV exchanges, which is how most Argentine crypto activity happens today. The BCRA has announced plans to let banks offer custody/trading directly (reported for an April-May 2026 start), but no formal resolution was confirmed published as of this research — treat bank-integrated crypto products as pending, not yet live.

Buying and selling crypto in Argentina

Fiat on/off-ramp is mainstream: bank transfers and local payment rails fund accounts at CNV-registered PSAV exchanges (Lemon, Ripio, Buenbit, Belo, etc.); USDT/stablecoin usage is very high due to a history of chronic inflation and currency controls (crypto transaction volume exceeded USD 93.9B from 2024-mid-2025, ~18.9% population adoption). Individuals have had full FX freedom since the cepo cambiario was lifted for individuals on 14 April 2025; companies still face residual exchange-control restrictions.

Worth knowing

The BCRA rule change allowing banks to directly offer crypto custody/trading was reported for an April-May 2026 start but no formally published resolution was confirmed as of this research — re-verify before publishing bank-specific claims. CNV's PSAV registry is an AML/CTF registration regime, not a securities-style product license.

Authority sources used

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FAQ

Is it legal to buy and hold Bitcoin in Argentina?

Yes. Crypto is legal to buy, hold, and trade; it just isn't legal tender. Only businesses providing crypto services to the public need to register with the CNV as a PSAV.

Do I have to pay tax on crypto I haven't sold?

Unrealized gains aren't taxed under Impuesto a las Ganancias for individuals, but the value of your crypto holdings must still be declared each year under the Bienes Personales wealth tax.