Crypto regulation in Argentina
Crypto is legal and regulated in Argentina. As of February 2026 the Comisión Nacional de Valores, the CNV, runs a mandatory registry of virtual asset service providers, known as PSAV, created by Law 27,739 in 2024 and detailed in CNV General Resolution 1058/2025. A business that exchanges, transfers, or holds crypto for the public, above the CNV thresholds, must be registered, with most conduct obligations enforceable from 31 December 2025. The central bank, the BCRA, is separately opening a framework for banks to offer crypto services during 2026.
The framework
Argentina regulates the crypto industry mainly through the registration and supervision of service providers, rather than by banning the asset. The foundation is Law 27,739, passed in March 2024, which amended the country's anti money laundering law, Law 25,246, to introduce a local definition of virtual assets and of virtual asset service providers, and assigned the registry and supervision of those providers to the Comisión Nacional de Valores, the CNV, the national securities regulator. This brought Argentina closer to the standards of the Financial Action Task Force for crypto businesses.
The CNV set out the operating rules in General Resolution 1058/2025, published in the Boletín Oficial on 14 March 2025. The resolution defines who must register as a PSAV, the registration process, and a set of conduct and security obligations covering cybersecurity, control of wallets and private keys, cold storage, segregation of client assets, custody procedures, customer disclosures, complaints handling, market integrity, and anti money laundering systems, along with a restriction on using client assets for the provider's own account. As of the CNV timetable, most of these obligations became enforceable for registered providers from 31 December 2025.
Who must register
The regulated party is the provider, not the individual user. As of February 2026, a business that exchanges crypto for money or other crypto, transfers crypto, holds or administers crypto, or provides related financial services to the public must register as a PSAV with the CNV. The CNV has applied volume based thresholds, reported around 35,000 UVA of monthly activity, above which registration is mandatory, so providers operating at scale in Argentina are required to be on the register. International platforms have been registering as their activity in Argentina grows. Holding your own crypto, using a self custody wallet, and trading privately are not licensed activities. Always check that a platform appears in the CNV PSAV registry before relying on it, since registration status changes.
The central bank and recent moves
The Banco Central de la República Argentina, the BCRA, sits alongside the CNV. The BCRA restricted banks from offering crypto in 2022. As of February 2026, under the administration of President Javier Milei, the BCRA has been preparing a framework that would let regulated banks offer crypto services to customers under anti money laundering and know your customer rules, with measures expected during 2026. Other recent measures point the same way: the government has exempted registered crypto exchanges from a transactional tax that applies to bank accounts, and the CNV has recognised crypto holdings toward the net worth used to classify qualified investors. We mark the bank framework as developing rather than settled, because the detail was still being finalised. See the Argentina pages on best exchanges and peer to peer trading for how this plays out in practice.
Regulation and tax are separate. As of February 2026, the tax authority is the Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero, the ARCA, formerly AFIP, which treats gains from disposing of crypto as taxable income and includes crypto in the personal assets tax on holdings at 31 December. There is no tax on simply holding crypto. See the Argentina tax page for the detail, and verify before filing.
Compare available exchanges in Argentina
Several platforms serve residents of Argentina as of February 2026, including local providers and international exchanges registered in the CNV PSAV registry. We list a platform here only where it is genuinely available to this country.
Regulator and sources
The virtual asset regulator is the CNV, which runs the PSAV registry. The central bank is the BCRA, and the tax authority is ARCA.
- Law 27,739 (2024), which amended Argentina's anti money laundering law to define virtual assets and create the CNV PSAV registry.
- CNV General Resolution 1058/2025, published in the Boletín Oficial on 14 March 2025, setting registration, custody, and conduct rules for PSAVs.
- Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV), on the PSAV registry, thresholds, and qualified investor recognition of crypto.
- Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA), on the framework for banks offering crypto services.
Frequently asked questions
- Who regulates crypto in Argentina?
- The Comisión Nacional de Valores, the CNV, the national securities regulator, runs the mandatory PSAV registry for virtual asset service providers under Law 27,739 and Resolution 1058/2025, as of February 2026. The BCRA oversees banks and ARCA handles tax.
- Is crypto regulated in Argentina?
- Yes. As of February 2026, Argentina regulates crypto mainly by requiring providers to register with the CNV under Law 27,739 and meet the conduct rules in Resolution 1058/2025. Owning crypto as an individual is legal and not a licensed activity.
- Do crypto exchanges need to register in Argentina?
- Yes. As of February 2026, businesses that exchange, transfer, or hold crypto for the public above the CNV thresholds, reported around 35,000 UVA of monthly activity, must register as PSAVs with the CNV. Check the CNV registry before using a platform.
- What is a PSAV in Argentina?
- PSAV stands for Proveedor de Servicios de Activos Virtuales, the Spanish term for a virtual asset service provider. As of February 2026, PSAVs must be registered with the CNV and meet registration, custody, and anti money laundering obligations under Resolution 1058/2025.
- Can banks offer crypto in Argentina?
- The BCRA restricted banks from offering crypto in 2022. As of February 2026 it was preparing a framework to let regulated banks offer crypto services under anti money laundering rules, with measures expected during 2026. Confirm the current position with the BCRA.