Crypto businesses in Kenya must hold a licence from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) or the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), after the transition period for existing providers ended on 4 November. Any platform where Kenyans buy, sell or transfer digital assets now needs one.
The two regulators announced on Friday 13 November that the Virtual Asset Service Providers Regulations, 2026, are gazetted. The CBK or the CMA supervises each business, depending on the services it offers.
CBK CMA Public Notice – Operationalisation of the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Regulations, 2026 https://t.co/wxbpaZofuD
— Central Bank of Kenya (@CBKKenya) November 13, 2026
The Regulations were gazetted on 22 July 2026 as Legal Notice No. 134 in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 185, the regulators’ notice says. The regulators published that notice almost four months later.
Which regulator licenses crypto businesses in Kenya?
A business applies to the regulator that covers the service it provides, as the First Schedule of the Act sets out. The regulators told businesses to read the licensing checklists on their websites.
TL Advocates, a law firm that summarised the Regulations, lists exchanges, custodians and brokers under the CMA and stablecoin issuers under the CBK. A stablecoin is a digital token pegged to a currency.
Capital rules and penalties apply after 4 November
The firm reported minimum paid up capital of KSh100 million for exchanges, KSh10 million for brokers and KSh300 million for stablecoin issuers. After 4 November, operating without a licence is a crime, it said.
The Regulations follow the 2025 Act
The Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 (Act No. 20 of 2025), gazetted on 21 October 2025, started on 4 November 2025. The Regulations bring the Act into operation, the regulators said.
Khusoko reported in January 2025 that Kenya planned to give cryptocurrencies a regulatory framework. In November 2025, the CBK and CMA said the Treasury was drafting the regulations that now exist.
Kenyans received KSh700 billion in crypto in a year
Kenyans received crypto worth KSh700 billion in the year to June 2026, up from KSh506 billion a year earlier, according to Chainalysis, a crypto analytics firm.
Treasury proposes to treat unclaimed crypto like dormant accounts
The National Treasury drafted an Unclaimed Financial Assets National Policy that would widen the assets people can surrender to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA). The Treasury argues the current framework does not cover digital assets.
If approved, dormant cryptocurrencies and stablecoins would join dormant bank accounts, shares and insurance benefits in that category.
What it means for people who use crypto platforms
The CBK said it will publish lists of licensed providers once it issues approvals. People who trade or hold digital assets in Kenya can check a platform against that list. The notice sets no date for the first list.
