Turkmenistan’s President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has signed a law on virtual assets permitting mining and the operation of cryptocurrency exchanges. The legislation will take effect on January 1, 2026, as reported by the state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan.
The regulatory act establishes the legal, economic, and organisational framework for the creation, issuance, storage, circulation, and use of cryptocurrencies within the country.
Key Provisions
Digital assets are recognised as objects of civil rights but not as a means of payment, currency, or securities. The law categorises cryptocurrencies into secured and unsecured types.
Mining is permitted for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, provided they undergo mandatory electronic registration with the Central Bank of Turkmenistan. Covert mining—using others’ computing power without consent—is prohibited.
Cryptocurrency exchanges and trading services must also register with the regulatory authority. The state does not bear responsibility for their obligations.
Users are subject to full identification in accordance with anti-money laundering legislation. Anonymous wallets and transactions are not permitted within the country’s legal framework.
The document introduces strict rules for advertising in the cryptocurrency sector. All materials must include clear risk warnings, information about the potential total loss of funds, and a statement that virtual assets are not a means of payment in Turkmenistan.
Promises of profit, the use of luxury items, bonuses and discounts, and the involvement of minors are prohibited. It is unacceptable to present cryptocurrencies as an easy way to earn money.
A separate clause addresses the protection of state symbols. Crypto companies are forbidden from using the following words in any form or combination in all languages in their names and branding:
- “state”;
- “Turkmenistan”;
- “Turkmen”;
- “Turkmenian”;
- “national”.
Companies not related to the crypto industry are prohibited from using the terms “virtual asset”, “cryptocurrency”, and “digital asset”.
Back in 2022, Uzbekistan approved the procedure for the issuance and circulation of digital assets. In September 2023, the local regulator began issuing mining licenses, and by March 2024, it had established rules for cryptocurrency mining pools.
The regulation of the digital asset sector is also actively developing in Kazakhstan. In November 2025, the head of the National Bank, Timur Suleimenov, announced that a state crypto reserve of $500 million to $1 billion would be established in the country.