Cryptocurrency in Argentina
Regulation is being revised. We check this page monthly, but before a large operation confirm with the primary source — something may have changed this week.
Where you can buy crypto in Argentina
You can buy crypto from a virtual asset service provider (PSAV) listed in the CNV registry. The second option is P2P, buying directly from another person through a platform that holds the seller's crypto until you pay.
| Who | Sells crypto to customers |
|---|---|
| Exchange in the CNV registry | yes |
| Bank | no |
| Payment wallet with an account | no |
| Individual on P2P | yes, on their own behalf |
Banks have been prohibited since May 2022 from carrying out crypto operations or helping their customers do so ⚖️1. Since May 2023 the same ban has applied to payment wallets ⚖️2. In October 2026 a Central Bank official said there were no plans yet to lift the ban for banks ⚖️3.
USDT is bought the same way. How it differs from dollars in a bank account is covered on the pages USDT and stablecoins in high inflation.
If you buy and sell crypto for yourself, you don't need to register with the CNV ⚖️4. A private seller on P2P doesn't need to register either, and that is why a buyer has less protection when dealing with one. Registered PSAVs are required to check their customers, while a private seller is not among those required to do so ⚖️5. It is safer to buy through the P2P section of a registered exchange. The general steps of buying are in the guide how to buy crypto, and choosing a platform is covered in how to choose an exchange.
Who regulates exchanges and exchange services
Selling, exchanging, transferring or holding crypto for customers is not allowed without an entry in the CNV registry ⚖️6. A foreign exchange must also be in the registry if it works with residents of Argentina, for example by accepting money from them, advertising to Argentines or running a website on the .ar domain ⚖️4.
A registered exchange must verify its customers' identity and report suspicious transactions to the financial intelligence unit (UIF) ⚖️5. That is why it asks for an ID document and a selfie when you open an account, and it cannot open an account without that check ⚖️5.
How do you check that an exchange is in the CNV's PSAV registry?
The official list of PSAVs is kept by the CNV. For each entry it shows the registration number and date, the legal and trade name, the types of activity, the website and the email address7.
- Open the list from the registry page on argentina.gob.ar, using the "Consultá el registro" link8.
- Search for the company by the legal name given in the exchange's terms of use (terms of service). The brand and the app name may differ from it.
- Compare the website in the entry with the address where you log in to your account.
- Look at the types of activity. If your crypto will stay on the exchange for a while after you buy it, the company must have custody (custodia) listed, which is category 4 in the registry ⚖️4.
A company that is not in the registry may not call itself a PSAV or advertise itself as if it were registered ⚖️4. If a service claims to be registered with the CNV but is not on the list, stop and don't send it any money.
What a registry entry means and what it doesn't
An entry confirms that the company is registered and supervised by the CNV. It contains no approval of any particular crypto. The exchange must warn customers that the CNV has not reviewed or approved the documents about the crypto and that its prices change sharply and quickly ⚖️4.
Custody comes with separate requirements. The exchange keeps customers' crypto on its books separately from its own and may not use it for itself. It must also publish proof of reserves, a report showing whether it holds enough crypto to cover all customer accounts on the date of the check ⚖️4. The article what are reserves explains how to read such reports. These rules reduce the risk of losing crypto if an exchange goes bankrupt or is hacked, though they don't remove it entirely.
Taxes on crypto in Argentina
Taxes are collected by ARCA, the national tax agency, which replaced the former agency AFIP in October 2024 ⚖️9. Its pages also open at the old address afip.gob.ar.
What about tax if you bought USDT for pesos and later sold it?
While USDT or any other crypto stays with you, there is no income tax, even if it has risen in value in pesos ⚖️10. The tax arises when you sell, and a sale on P2P counts as a sale too. Say you bought USDT for 100,000 pesos and some time later sold it for 150,000 pesos. Your gain is 50,000 pesos minus fees, and that gain is subject to income tax ⚖️10. If you sold for less than you paid, that trade carries no tax.
From your first purchase, write down each trade's date, peso amount and fee. What else to record and which operations create a tax is covered in the guide how to handle crypto taxes.
Income tax (Impuesto a las Ganancias)
Income tax is paid on the difference between the sale price and the purchase price, and the costs of the trade are deducted from it as well ⚖️10. As of 30.10.2026, ARCA gives a rate of 5% if the trade took place in pesos in Argentina and 15% if it took place in a foreign currency or the income was earned abroad ⚖️10.
Which of these rates applies to selling USDT, which is tied to the dollar, is a question for an accountant ⚖️.
A loss from selling crypto reduces only the gain from the same kind of operations, in the same year or in the following five years ⚖️10.
Personal assets tax (Bienes Personales)
Crypto, stablecoins included, is part of the assets on which personal assets tax is paid ⚖️11. The tax is based on what you held on 31 December, and crypto is entered at its purchase price ⚖️11. Whether you owe the tax depends on how much you own in total and whether that is above the tax-free threshold ⚖️.
Provincial tax (Ingresos Brutos)
If crypto is a regular business for you, ask an accountant about the provincial gross income tax. Each province collects it on its own, and each has its own rules ⚖️.
Risks and how to avoid losing money
The Central Bank and the CNV warn of three main risks: sharp price swings, fraud, and theft of the key to your wallet, after which the crypto often cannot be recovered12. The key here is the private key, the secret code your wallet uses to approve your transfers. A transfer recorded on the blockchain (the shared record of every transfer on a network) usually cannot be reversed, so a mistake in the recipient's address or a transfer to a scammer costs you the whole amount.
- Before you sign up on an exchange, check it against the registry using the steps above.
- A promise of guaranteed or high returns with no risk is a sign of fraud, even if the company is registered with the CNV. The article phishing and scams explains how such schemes work.
- Never show your wallet's seed phrase to anyone, whether "support" or "the tax agency" (what is a seed phrase).
- Keep your statements and trade history, even if the exchange shuts down or leaves the country.
- Don't rush. If someone is pushing you to make a transfer, that is a reason to stop.
The guide how to store crypto and the article hot and cold wallets explain where to keep the crypto you bought, and the guide to selling and cashing out deals with selling for pesos.
Legal status of crypto in Argentina
The law calls crypto a virtual asset (activo virtual), meaning a digital representation of value that can be sold, transferred and used for payments or investment ⚖️6. The country's legal currency does not fall under this definition ⚖️6.
Crypto is not legal tender, so nobody is obliged to accept it as payment ⚖️12. Registered exchanges must state this plainly to their customers ⚖️4. A seller may choose to accept crypto as payment for goods, and needs no CNV registration for that ⚖️4.
Where to check the latest information
More detail on the laws and resolutions behind the rules
The definition of a virtual asset and the PSAV registry appeared in March 2024, when Law 27,739 amended the anti-money-laundering law (Ley 25.246) ⚖️6. The CNV gathered the detailed rules for PSAVs into a single text with Resolution 1172/2026, published on 15 October 2026 ⚖️4.
For an individual, a gain from selling crypto is income of the second category of income tax ⚖️10. For personal assets tax, ARCA refers to its legal opinion Dictamen 2/2022 and proposes valuing crypto at purchase cost, adjusted for interest and exchange differences ⚖️11.
In the City of Buenos Aires (CABA), since March 2026 the provincial tax on buying and selling crypto has been calculated on the gap between sale and purchase prices, taking fees into account ⚖️13.
Monthly reports from platforms to ARCA were introduced by Resolution 4614/2019. In December 2025 it was updated by ARCA Resolution 5804/2025, and under the new text the reports are filed from May 2026 ⚖️.
The 2024 asset regularization regime (blanqueo, Law 27,743) covered crypto a person held on 31 December 2023. It was open to join until 30 April 2025, with the government entitled to extend the deadline to 31 July 2025 ⚖️14. The deadline has passed, and past returns are corrected together with an accountant.
