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2026-01-16 10:18:00
Moldova plans to introduce its first comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation by the end of 2026, aligning its rules with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, the country’s finance minister, Andrian Gavrilita, said.
Gavrilita said Wednesday in an interview on the state-owned TVR Moldova, that the government is working with regulators to develop a legal framework that would allow citizens to hold and trade cryptocurrencies, while stopping short of recognizing digital assets as a means of payment.
“We have the responsibility to regulate them, and it will be the right of citizens to hold these currencies,” he said. “I’m not sure if we’ll manage during the next month, but it’s our engagement with the European Union. You can’t prohibit [cryptocurrencies.]”
The announcement comes over a year after the full implementation of the EU’s MiCA framework, the first comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto industry, which went into effect for crypto-asset service providers on Dec. 30, 2024.
The move would mark Moldova’s first formal crypto law. Its central bank has issued numerous warnings about the volatility and money laundering risks associated with digital assets.
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Under the plan, the draft legislation would be developed jointly by the finance ministry, the National Bank of Moldova, the country’s financial markets regulator, and its Anti-Money Laundering authority.
The legislation aims to legalize holding and transacting cryptocurrencies, but it won’t include provisions to legalize digital assets for payments within the country, Gavrilita said.
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Gavrilita highlighted the speculative nature of cryptocurrencies multiple times during the interview. “I avoid using the term investments when it comes to cryptocurrencies,” he said.
“I see them more as a speculative domain, but citizens have the right to operate them either way, and this year we’ll have the legislation.”
While he didn’t share any more specifics about the upcoming bill, he said that countries like Estonia serve as an example due to the country’s “simplicity” in legislation.
Meanwhile, other countries are pushing back against potential licensing loopholes in Europe’s MiCA framework.
In September 2025, France became the third European country to call for the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to take over supervision of major crypto firms, joining Austrian and Italian securities regulators.
The move followed growing criticism of Malta’s crypto licensing regime. In July, the ESMA released a peer review of the Malta Financial Services Authority’s authorization of a crypto service provider, saying that the regulator only “partially met expectations.”
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