Central Bank of Tunisia

When you hear Central Bank of Tunisia, the government-run institution that controls Tunisia’s currency, monetary policy, and financial stability. Also known as Banque Centrale de Tunisie, it holds authority over all legal tender, banking licenses, and financial oversight in the country. Unlike many countries in Southeast Asia or Latin America, Tunisia hasn’t embraced cryptocurrency as legal tender. Instead, the Central Bank of Tunisia has consistently warned citizens against using Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other crypto asset as money. Why? Because it sees decentralized finance as a threat to its control over the Tunisian dinar and the national financial system.

The bank’s stance isn’t just about fear—it’s about structure. It operates under a centralized model where every transaction flows through licensed banks, and every foreign exchange move is monitored. Crypto, by design, skips this system. That’s why the Central Bank of Tunisia blocked local banks from processing crypto-related payments in 2018, and still enforces that rule today. Even peer-to-peer trading on platforms like Paxful or LocalBitcoins is technically illegal, though enforcement is patchy. Meanwhile, the bank is quietly exploring its own digital currency—a central bank digital currency (CBDC)—to keep control while modernizing payments. This isn’t crypto. It’s a digital version of the dinar, fully trackable and controlled by the state.

For Tunisians, this creates a split reality. On one side, you have young entrepreneurs using crypto to send money abroad, bypassing slow bank transfers and high fees. On the other, you have government officials warning that crypto is risky, unregulated, and potentially illegal. The crypto regulation Tunisia landscape is murky. No official laws ban holding crypto, but using it to pay for goods, exchanging it for dinars through local services, or even advertising crypto projects can get you in trouble. This makes Tunisia a unique case in Africa: not fully open, not fully closed, but stuck in between.

What does this mean for you if you’re using crypto in Tunisia? You can still buy tokens on international exchanges. You can still hold them in your wallet. But if you try to cash out through a local exchange or use crypto to pay a Tunisian vendor, you’re walking a legal tightrope. The blockchain Africa movement is growing fast—Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya—all have thriving crypto ecosystems. Tunisia’s central bank is trying to stop that momentum. But it can’t stop the internet. People still find ways.

The posts below dive into real crypto projects, scams, exchanges, and airdrops—many of which Tunisian users are exploring despite the risks. You’ll find guides on how to spot fake platforms, what to avoid when trading, and how to protect your funds in a high-risk environment. These aren’t endorsements. They’re warnings, breakdowns, and practical advice for anyone trying to navigate crypto under the watchful eye of a central bank that doesn’t want you to be here.