Bahrain — crypto regulation

Status: legal · Last reviewed 2026-11-05

One of the Gulf's earliest crypto regulators. The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has licensed crypto-asset service providers under the Crypto-asset Module (CRA) of its Rulebook since 2019, with four licence categories; Binance (2022) and Rain are among the licensees. CRA was expanded in 2023 to cover digital token offerings. A Stablecoin Issuance and Offering (SIO) Module (Jul 2025) permits licensed issuers to issue single-currency stablecoins backed by the Bahraini dinar, US dollar or other approved currencies; AX Coin received the first stablecoin issuer licence in Jun 2026. Courts regularly convict operators of unlicensed crypto platforms.

Legislation