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Privacy-coin regulation tracker
How jurisdictions treat Monero and other privacy coins. Each row links its source and shows when we last checked it. Most rules bind exchanges and other regulated businesses rather than individuals. This is a summary, not legal advice. Exchange availability: where to buy Monero. Data: JSON.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Applies to | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Coming into force | Banks, financial institutions and crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) | Under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR, Article 79), regulated institutions and CASPs may not maintain anonymous accounts or accounts using anonymity-enhancing coins such as Monero, from 2027. The rule applies to these regulated businesses. | Cointelegraph, May 2025 (updated July 2026) cointelegraph.com/news/eu-crypto-ban-anonymous-privacy-tokens-2027 checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| Dubai (VARA, mainland Dubai) | Banned | Issuers and virtual asset service providers licensed by VARA | VARA's Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023 prohibit issuing anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies and all related virtual asset activities in its jurisdiction, which covers most of Dubai outside the DIFC. | Cointelegraph cointelegraph.com/news/dubai-difc-dfsa-crypto-token-suitability-rule-change checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| Dubai International Financial Centre (DFSA) | No explicit ban | Firms licensed in the DIFC free zone | No explicit ban on privacy coins by name. Since the 2026 rule change, licensed firms decide themselves whether a token meets the DFSA suitability criteria, which may lead many to avoid privacy coins. | Cointelegraph cointelegraph.com/news/dubai-difc-dfsa-crypto-token-suitability-rule-change checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| Abu Dhabi (ADGM) | No explicit ban | Firms licensed in Abu Dhabi Global Market | Risk-based approach without an outright ban on privacy coins. | Cointelegraph cointelegraph.com/news/dubai-difc-dfsa-crypto-token-suitability-rule-change checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| Japan | Restricted | Licensed exchanges | Trading of privacy coins on regulated exchanges was banned in 2018, according to Chainalysis as cited by CryptoSlate. | CryptoSlate (Kaiko report), Oct 2024 cryptoslate.com/privacy-tokens-reach-highest-delisting-rate-in-2024-kaiko/ checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| South Korea | Restricted | Licensed exchanges | Regulators began pressuring exchanges to drop privacy coins in 2020, according to Chainalysis as cited by CryptoSlate. | CryptoSlate (Kaiko report), Oct 2024 cryptoslate.com/privacy-tokens-reach-highest-delisting-rate-in-2024-kaiko/ checked 4 Nov 2026 |
| Australia | Restricted | Licensed exchanges | Regulators began pressuring exchanges to drop privacy coins in 2020, according to Chainalysis as cited by CryptoSlate. | CryptoSlate (Kaiko report), Oct 2024 cryptoslate.com/privacy-tokens-reach-highest-delisting-rate-in-2024-kaiko/ checked 4 Nov 2026 |
Something missing or out of date? Tell us with a source.
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