Jamaica — crypto regulation

Status: partial · Last reviewed 2026-11-05

Crypto is lawful in Jamaica, but there is no VASP regime in force yet. The Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, 2026 was tabled by Finance Minister Fayval Williams on 22 Sep 2026 and passed the House of Representatives with three amendments on 29 Sep 2026. It is now with the Senate. The Act would require a Financial Services Commission licence for any firm serving Jamaicans, wherever it is based, and apply bank-style AML duties and the travel rule. The FSC consulted on six licence classes from June to July 2026 and expects the regime to be complete by March 2027. Jamaica was one of the first countries to make a CBDC legal tender, JAM-DEX (Bank of Jamaica Act amendments, June 2022), but take-up remains low.

Legislation