Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Regulation in Romania

Yes. Holding, buying, selling and transferring Bitcoin and other crypto-assets is legal in Romania. Crypto is not recognised as legal tender; the Romanian leu (RON) is the only official currency, and the euro is the EU's single currency. Private individuals and businesses are generally free to use crypto, and merchants may choose to accept it.

What is regulated is the service layer around crypto. Businesses that exchange, trade, custody, advise on or otherwise provide crypto-asset services to the public must be licensed and must follow anti-money-laundering rules. In short, the asset is legal to own, but running a crypto business is a licensed, supervised activity. Romania has aligned with the EU rather than pursuing prohibition, so for residents the practical questions are how crypto is regulated and how it is taxed, not whether it is allowed.

Romania uses a multi-authority model. The lead crypto supervisor is the Financial Supervisory Authority (Autoritatea de Supraveghere Financiara, ASF). Under OUG 10/2025, the ASF authorises and supervises crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), including exchanges, brokers, custodians, advisers and crypto ATM operators, and oversees the issuance of most crypto-assets other than e-money tokens. The ASF is also Romania's MiCA point of contact with the EU markets authority, ESMA.

The National Bank of Romania (Banca Nationala a Romaniei, BNR) is the competent authority specifically for the issuance of e-money tokens by credit institutions and electronic-money institutions under its supervision, and is the guardian of monetary stability.

Two further bodies matter in practice: the National Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering (ONPCSB), Romania's financial intelligence unit, which receives suspicious-transaction reports; and the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), which handles crypto taxation. You can verify the supervisors' roles on their official sites: ASF, National Bank of Romania and ONPCSB.

Romania's crypto rules rest on a small number of clear pillars:

• MiCA (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114): The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation applies directly in Romania. It creates a single authorisation regime for CASPs that can be passported across the EU, and sets dedicated rules for asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens (stablecoin-type assets). MiCA's rules for service providers have been phasing in across the EU through 2024 and 2025.
• OUG/GEO 10/2025: Romania's national implementing measure, in force from 13 March 2025. It designates the ASF and BNR as the competent authorities, sets the transitional regime for existing firms, and amends Romania's AML law (Law No. 129/2019) to bring crypto activity into line with the EU transfer-of-funds and travel-rule requirements.
• AML law (Law No. 129/2019, as amended): Imposes know-your-customer, monitoring and reporting obligations, transposing EU anti-money-laundering directives.

Because OUG 10/2025 was issued as an emergency ordinance and implementing details continue to be published, confirm the current text and any later amendments with the ASF before relying on a specific provision. For background on how MiCA fits the wider EU picture, see ESMA's official MiCA page.

Any business providing crypto-asset services to Romanian or EU customers must hold, or be in the process of obtaining, a MiCA authorisation as a CASP. In Romania the ASF grants and supervises these licences under OUG 10/2025. Reported features of the Romanian regime include minimum capital requirements that start around EUR 25,000 (the MiCA tier depending on the services offered), governance and fit-and-proper checks, and full EU passporting once authorised.

A distinctive Romanian step is a technical pre-approval from the Authority for the Digitisation of Romania (ADR), which reviews a CASP's IT systems, cybersecurity and operational-resilience arrangements (aligned with the EU's DORA framework) before the main application goes to the ASF.

For consumers, the practical takeaway is to favour platforms that are MiCA-licensed or clearly progressing through authorisation, and that name the EU regulator supervising them. The EU markets authority ESMA maintains an interim MiCA register of authorised providers; you can reach it from the official ESMA MiCA page, and Romanian authorisations can be checked with the ASF.

Crypto gains are taxable in Romania, and the tax treatment changed at the start of 2026. The headline points reported for 2026 are:

• Flat income-tax rate of 16% on crypto gains from 1 January 2026, up from 10% that applied to gains realised in 2025. The taxable gain is generally the positive difference between sale price and acquisition cost, including direct transaction fees, and applies to crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto disposals.
• Small-gain relief: gains under 200 RON per transaction are reported as not taxed, provided total annual gains do not exceed 600 RON.
• Health contribution (CASS): a 10% health-insurance contribution can apply once annual income from such sources passes set thresholds (linked to multiples of the minimum wage).
• Self-declaration: individuals generally report crypto income on the annual single return (Declaratia Unica, Form 212), filed via the ANAF portal, with the usual deadline around 25 May of the following year.

Reporting is tightening: from 2026 crypto service providers are required to transmit user transaction data to ANAF under EU and international frameworks (such as DAC8), so under-declaring is increasingly risky. Because rates, thresholds and contribution rules can change between tax years and detailed ANAF guidance is still developing, confirm current figures directly with ANAF or a Romanian tax adviser. See also our general crypto taxes guide. This is informational only, not tax advice.

Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls are a core part of Romania's crypto regime. CASPs are obligated persons under Law No. 129/2019, as amended by OUG 10/2025, and must perform customer due diligence (KYC), verify identities, monitor transactions and file suspicious-transaction reports with the ONPCSB, Romania's financial intelligence unit.

Crypto-specific obligations follow the EU transfer-of-funds rules and the FATF travel rule: providers must collect and pass on information about the sender and recipient of crypto transfers, and must assess and manage the risk of transfers to or from self-hosted (unhosted) wallets and untrusted addresses. In practice this means fully anonymous services are being phased out: a compliant exchange or crypto ATM will always ask you to verify your identity. The ONPCSB publishes guidance and sector risk assessments on its official site, onpcsb.ro.

Romanians can buy crypto through EU-based and international exchanges, brokers and peer-to-peer platforms; there is no rule forcing residents onto a domestic-only service. Most people use established platforms that support RON or EUR funding via SEPA bank transfer or card.

A typical compliant route is: choose a MiCA-licensed (or clearly authorising) platform; complete identity verification (KYC) with an ID document and any required proof of address; fund the account by SEPA transfer or card (transfers usually carry lower fees); place your buy order; then decide whether to keep assets on the exchange or withdraw to a personal wallet. Self-custody, holding your own private keys in a software or hardware wallet, remains legal and widely used, although moving funds to or from a regulated exchange can trigger KYC and record-keeping on the platform side.

Crypto ATMs exist in Romania, mainly in larger cities such as Bucharest. Their operators are CASPs under the ASF and must apply identity and transaction-monitoring controls; expect verification, and treat any machine that asks for no identification at all with caution. Keep records of every transaction (dates, amounts, RON value, fees) for your tax return.

Crypto mining is not banned in Romania and there is no dedicated mining licence. Miners operate within the country's general legal, energy and tax framework, which shapes whether mining is viable:

• Electricity cost and supply: mining is energy-intensive, so profitability depends heavily on power prices. Romania's generation mix includes significant hydro, nuclear and other sources, but tariffs, grid-connection rules and any energy levies all affect the economics.
• Energy and environmental rules: larger operations may need to engage with energy-market regulation, grid operators and permitting like any sizeable electricity consumer, and the EU is increasing scrutiny and disclosure requirements around crypto energy use.
• Tax and business registration: mining rewards generally have tax consequences, and running mining as a business brings standard company obligations.

There is no prohibition aimed at miners, but anyone scaling beyond hobby level should plan around electricity contracts, permitting and tax treatment, and confirm current requirements with the relevant authorities.

The defining change is Romania's move onto the single EU rulebook and the closing of the MiCA transition:

• OUG 10/2025 entered into force on 13 March 2025, naming the ASF and BNR as competent authorities and tightening AML rules for crypto firms.
• Transitional (grandfathering) regime: firms already active were given a limited window to keep operating under prior arrangements while they apply for full MiCA authorisation. Reported milestones include notifying the ASF of intent to continue (by late 2025) and submitting full applications through to mid-2026.
• 1 July 2026 cut-off: reporting indicates that from around 1 July 2026 only fully MiCA-licensed CASPs may serve EU customers, and transitional registrations expire. Exact dates can shift, so confirm the current cut-off with the ASF.
• Tax increase: the crypto income-tax rate rose to 16% from 1 January 2026, and automatic provider-to-ANAF reporting began the same year.

Separately, Romania participates, through the BNR and the European Central Bank, in the EU's preparatory work on a possible digital euro. That is a state-backed project distinct from decentralised crypto and, if it proceeds, would coexist with cash rather than replace private crypto-assets.

The direction of travel under MiCA is clearer licensing, stronger consumer-protection and disclosure rules, and more comprehensive tax reporting, all of which favour established, compliant providers. Even so, real risks remain:

• Market volatility: crypto prices swing sharply and you can lose part or all of your capital. Crypto is not covered by deposit-guarantee or investor-compensation schemes the way bank deposits are.
• Platform and transition risk: during the MiCA transition some providers may restrict services, change terms or exit the market; check that your platform completes full authorisation. Even licensed providers are not risk-free, and unlicensed ones are far riskier.
• Fraud: crypto is a frequent target for scams. Be wary of guaranteed-return schemes, social-media giveaways, fake support staff and unsolicited investment offers.

Sensible protections are to use regulated platforms, enable strong security, consider self-custody for larger holdings, invest only what you can afford to lose, and keep complete records. If a service or offer seems suspect, you can raise concerns with the ASF's consumer-protection function.

Because crypto rules in Romania are still settling and details can change between updates, always confirm specifics with a primary official source rather than secondary articles. The authorities to check are:

• Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF), the lead crypto regulator and MiCA licensing authority: asfromania.ro.
• National Bank of Romania (BNR), for e-money tokens and monetary matters: bnr.ro.
• ONPCSB, the financial intelligence unit, for AML and travel-rule guidance: onpcsb.ro.
• ESMA, for the EU-wide MiCA framework and the interim register of authorised CASPs: esma.europa.eu.

To verify an exchange, look it up in the ESMA MiCA register or confirm its authorisation with the ASF. For tax, rely on ANAF and the Declaratia Unica instructions, or a Romanian tax adviser. This guide is general information as of 2026 and is not legal, tax or financial advice; verify any specific point with the named official regulator before acting. You can also explore our regulation hub for other countries.

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