Practice Area

Blockchain &
Crypto Policy

Africa's digital asset regulatory environment is moving fast. Kenya passed the first standalone VASP legislation on the continent in 2025. Nigeria's SEC has one of the most developed virtual asset frameworks in Africa. South Africa's FSCA is actively licensing crypto asset service providers. We help organisations navigate what the law actually requires and what is coming.

โ–ถ

Explainer video coming soon

A Rapidly Formalising Landscape

For years, African crypto regulation was characterised by central bank prohibitions and regulatory ambiguity. That era is ending. Kenya's Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2025 the first standalone crypto legislation on the continent creates a comprehensive licensing and compliance regime. Nigeria's SEC issued its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme framework and is actively regulating exchanges and token offerings. South Africa formally classified crypto assets as financial products under FSCA supervision.

The direction is clear: formal regulation, licensing requirements, AML obligations, and enforcement. Organisations that have been operating in a grey zone are now operating in regulated space. The question is whether their compliance infrastructure reflects that.

Beyond national frameworks, FATF's Travel Rule applies to virtual asset service providers across the continent, and the interaction between crypto activity and existing data protection law particularly around KYC data and transaction records creates compliance complexity that sits across multiple frameworks simultaneously.

Our Approach

We carry depth in the primary legislative sources across Africa's most active crypto regulatory jurisdictions. We read the legislation, the subsidiary regulations, the SEC circulars, and the enforcement actions and we monitor developments in real time through our regulatory intelligence infrastructure.

Our work is grounded in what the law actually says, not what the industry assumes it says. The gap between the two is often material, particularly in Nigeria where the SARP and Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme frameworks have evolved rapidly, and in Kenya where the VASP Act 2025 creates obligations that are still being interpreted.

We also hold depth in the intersection of crypto regulation and data protection an area that most practitioners treat separately but that creates compounded obligations for VASPs processing personal data of African users.

What You Receive

๐Ÿ“„

Regulatory Landscape Analysis

A jurisdiction-specific analysis of the licensing requirements, prohibited activities, capital requirements, and compliance obligations applicable to your business model in each African market you operate or plan to enter.

๐Ÿฆ

VASP Licensing Support

Guidance on the licensing process under Kenya's VASP Act 2025, Nigeria's SEC framework, South Africa's FSCA registration, and other applicable regimes. We help you understand what is required and prepare the regulatory submissions.

๐Ÿ”

Token Classification Analysis

Whether a token constitutes a security, utility token, payment token, or regulated financial instrument varies by jurisdiction. We provide written analysis of how your token is likely to be classified under applicable African frameworks and what obligations follow.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ

AML/CFT Compliance Framework

FATF Travel Rule compliance, KYC/CDD programme design, transaction monitoring requirements, and suspicious activity reporting structured to meet both FATF standards and the specific requirements of each jurisdiction's AML legislation.

๐Ÿ”—

DeFi and Smart Contract Review

Decentralised finance protocols and smart contracts do not exist outside regulatory reach. We analyse the legal characterisation of your protocol, the obligations that attach to identifiable participants, and the data protection implications of on-chain processing.

๐Ÿ“ก

Regulatory Intelligence

Continuous monitoring of crypto regulatory developments across key African jurisdictions enforcement actions, new circulars, licensing updates, and legislative amendments delivered as structured intelligence briefings.

Key Jurisdictions

  • Kenya VASP Act 2025 (first standalone crypto law in Africa)
  • Nigeria SEC SARP framework, Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme
  • South Africa FSCA crypto asset service provider licensing
  • Ghana SEC digital asset guidelines
  • Rwanda emerging digital asset framework
  • Mauritius FSC Virtual Asset and Initial Token Offering Services Act

Who We Work With

  • Cryptocurrency exchanges seeking licensing across African markets
  • DeFi protocol developers with African user bases
  • Fintech companies integrating digital asset functionality
  • Investment funds with digital asset exposure
  • Corporates issuing tokens or digital securities
  • Multinationals assessing regulatory risk of African crypto operations

Start the Conversation

Tell us about your business, the jurisdictions you are operating in, and the specific regulatory questions you need answered.

Request a Consultation โ†’ Subscribe to the Digest