Tunisia crypto ban: What it means for users and how it fits global crackdowns
When Tunisia crypto ban, a government-imposed prohibition on all cryptocurrency transactions and exchanges enacted in early 2024. It is also known as crypto trading prohibition in Tunisia, it cut off access to global platforms like Binance, Bybit, and Kraken overnight. This wasn’t just a technical move—it was a signal that Tunisia’s central bank and finance ministry see crypto as a threat to financial control, not innovation.
The ban targets crypto exchange restrictions, rules that block access to foreign platforms and freeze user funds, which is exactly what happened. Users lost access to their wallets, P2P trades were shut down, and even local crypto ATMs were removed. The government claimed it was to stop money laundering and protect citizens from scams—but the same justification was used in Thailand crypto ban, a 2025 move that banned foreign P2P platforms and forced users onto licensed local exchanges. Tunisia’s version is stricter: no exceptions, no licenses, no gray area. It’s not about fraud—it’s about control.
What makes this different from India’s heavy taxes or Australia’s licensing rules? In those places, crypto still exists—just under tight oversight. Tunisia erased it. That’s why the African crypto laws, a growing cluster of national policies across North and West Africa that limit or ban digital assets are worth watching. Countries like Nigeria and Ghana are pushing for regulation, not prohibition. Tunisia chose to go full lockdown. And it’s not alone. The crypto enforcement, global wave of penalties, asset freezes, and platform bans led by regulators like the SEC and local central banks is accelerating. From Thailand’s sudden platform bans to India’s AI-monitored mining audits, governments are moving fast. Tunisia just moved fastest.
What you’ll find below are real stories and breakdowns of how people got caught trying to bypass these bans, what tools they used, and why those tools are now riskier than ever. You’ll see how one user in Tunis tried to use nested exchanges to stay online—and ended up flagged by financial intelligence units. You’ll read about how the same tactics that worked in 2023 now trigger automated alerts in 2025. This isn’t theory. It’s what’s happening right now, in real time, across the world.
- By Eva van den Bergh
- /
- 8 Nov 2025
Tunisia's Complete Crypto Ban Explained: Why It Exists and What It Means Today
Tunisia banned all cryptocurrency in 2018, making it illegal to buy, sell, mine, or use Bitcoin. Learn why the government took this extreme step, how it's enforced, and whether change is coming in 2025.