Albania’s 2020 crypto law has no licence holder on record, and a MiCA-based replacement passed the government on 2 October 2026
Albania regulates crypto exchanges under its 2020 DLT law, which does not mention crypto ATMs. The AMF has stated that it has licensed no entity under that law, and no licence holder was found on 8 October 2026. The government approved a MiCA-based draft law on 2 October 2026. No parliamentary vote was found.
● Grey
|
0
Entities licensed under Law 66/2020, according to an AMF notice
|
ALL 20-90m
Minimum capital for DLT exchange licence categories A to C
|
2 Oct 2026
Council of Ministers approves a MiCA-based draft law on crypto-asset markets
|
Albania regulates crypto exchanges under its 2020 DLT law, which does not mention crypto ATMs.1,2 The AMF has stated that it has licensed no entity under that law, and no licence holder was found on 8 October 2026.5 The government approved a MiCA-based draft law on 2 October 2026.7,8 No parliamentary vote was found.
Last updated: October 2026
Regulatory Framework
Law No. 66/2020 "On financial markets based on distributed ledger technology" was adopted on 21 May 2020, published in Official Gazette No. 136 on 21 July 2020 and entered into force on 1 September 2020.1 It regulates the issuance of digital tokens and virtual currencies, and the licensing and supervision of entities that distribute, trade or hold them in custody.1 The Financial Supervisory Authority (AMF) assesses the financial and regulatory side of an application and the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI) assesses the technology (Article 7).2
Article 4 sets out the licences: digital token agent, DLT exchange, third-party custody wallet provider, innovative service provider and automated digital token collective investment undertaking. A DLT exchange licence comes in three categories. Category A admits utility, payment and asset tokens to trading. Category B adds trading of fiat money and virtual currencies against those tokens. Category C adds security tokens.2 The law defines a virtual currency in Article 3(80).2 The text reviewed does not mention crypto ATMs, machines or kiosks.2
Getting Licensed
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 21 May 2020 | Law No. 66/2020 adopted1 |
| 1 Sep 2020 | Law enters into force1 |
| 25 Nov 2021 | AMF Board Decision No. 212 adds registers of digital token agents, DLT exchanges and third-party custodians4 |
| 29 Sep 2022 | AMF Board Decision No. 165 approves the Regulation on licensing DLT exchanges3 |
| 18 Jun 2025 | AMF warns about an unlicensed virtual currency platform10 |
| 28 Mar 2026 | Draft law on crypto-asset markets reported to be at drafting stage9 |
| 2 Oct 2026 | Council of Ministers approves the draft law "On Crypto-Asset Markets"7,8 |
An applicant must be registered in Albania as a joint-stock company (Article 9). It needs a board or supervisory board of good reputation and expertise, fit and proper checks for shareholders above 10% and board members, an appointed AML officer and internal rules on AML, conflicts of interest and market abuse.2 Applications are filed electronically. For a DLT exchange they go through a licensed digital token agent, and the AMF forwards them to AKSHI within two working days (Article 10).2 The decision is due within 60 calendar days (Article 11). If requested clarifications are not given within 10 working days, extendable to 20, the application is rejected automatically (Article 12).2
Minimum capital is ALL 18 million for a digital token agent (Article 29) and ALL 20 million for a Category A exchange (Article 57). Category C needs ALL 90 million (Article 59).2 For Category B the law words the condition as ALL 60 million or a cap on fiat deposits of ALL 30 million (Article 58). The AMF regulation sets ALL 60 million together with the ALL 30 million cap (Article 31), and requires the initial capital to be held blocked in a bank until licensing is complete.2,3 The regulation does not state the application fee. A DLT exchange may not trade for its own account, and tokens with extra privacy or anonymity features cannot be listed.3
AML and KYC
Licence holders are treated as virtual asset service providers under the AML rules (Article 16).2 A DLT exchange applies the AMF customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence regulation, No. 58 of 30 June 2015, and must have internal AML rules and a compliance officer, who may also act as AML officer.3 The sources reviewed do not give a KYC threshold specific to crypto ATMs.
A draft law on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing is in public consultation, with a comment deadline of 19 March 2026. Its Part III aligns with Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 on information accompanying transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets.6 The draft was not reviewed article by article.
What the Register Shows
In a warning notice on its website, the AMF states that to date it has not licensed or authorised any entity under Law No. 66/2020. The copy reviewed carries no date.5 The AMF page for Law No. 66/2020 lists registers of licensees for the securities and investment fund markets and no register for DLT entities.1 On 18 June 2025 the AMF warned about an unlicensed virtual currency platform and said that no company may offer investment services or trade virtual currencies in Albania without a licence, registration or AMF recognition.10
Licensing was slow to start. On 26 May 2021 the parliamentary Economy Committee asked the AMF and AKSHI to finish the implementing acts, whose legal deadlines had passed. The AMF said it had no licence requests at that time.11 No public source reviewed reports a crypto ATM operating in Albania, and no regulator statement on crypto ATMs was found.
What Is Changing
On 2 October 2026 the Council of Ministers approved the draft law "On Crypto-Asset Markets", prepared by the AMF. Press reports say it transposes the MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 and covers the issuance of crypto-assets and the operation of trading platforms, custody, exchange and other services.7,8 An earlier report on the draft says it would replace Law No. 66/2020, that the AMF would license crypto-asset service providers, and that the Bank of Albania would supervise issuers of e-money tokens and asset-referenced tokens.9
The draft still has to go through parliament, and no vote was found as of 8 October 2026.7 The reports reviewed do not state a transition period for existing entities or an entry-into-force date.
What Is Not Known
The law text and the AMF regulation do not say whether a crypto ATM operator needs a DLT exchange licence, and if so which category. The English text of the law reviewed ends at Article 88 and does not show the sanctions chapter, so fines for unlicensed activity are not stated here. The application fee, the KYC thresholds under the national AML law and the position of a hardware or software supplier that does not provide the service were not confirmed. Bank access for operators is not addressed in the sources. The date of the AMF notice that no entity is licensed is also unknown. These are questions for Albanian counsel and for the AMF.
Sources and references
1. AMF, Law No. 66/2020 "On financial markets based on distributed ledger technology", legislation page (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | amf.gov.al
2. Law No. 66/2020, English text (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | amf.gov.al
3. AMF Board, Regulation on licensing of entities operating as DLT exchanges, Decision No. 165, 29 September 2022 (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | amf.gov.al
4. AMF Board, Decision No. 212, 25 November 2021, amending the regulation on registers of licensed entities (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | amf.gov.al
5. AMF, warning on fraudulent platforms TXEX, XUEXA and GROKREXDUU, undated (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | amf.gov.al
6. Financial Intelligence Agency, draft acts: draft law on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing (PRIMARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | fiu.gov.al
7. Business Magazine Albania, Council of Ministers approves the draft law on crypto-asset markets, 3 October 2026 (SECONDARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | businessmag.al
8. Albeu, Draft law on crypto-asset markets approved, 2 October 2026 (SECONDARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | albeu.com
9. Politiko, New law, Albania "trying again" with crypto-assets, 28 March 2026 (SECONDARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | politiko.al
10. A2 CNN, AMF warns about an unlicensed virtual currency platform, 18 June 2025 (SECONDARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | a2news.com
11. Shqiptarja, Economy Committee asks AMF and AKSHI to finish the implementing acts, 26 May 2021 (SECONDARY, accessed 8 October 2026) | shqiptarja.com
Legal Disclaimer: This article by GENERAL BYTES is for informational purposes only and does not constitute formal legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules may change; always consult specialised local legal counsel and confirm the current position with the Financial Supervisory Authority (AMF) of Albania before considering market entry.