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Moldova plans to introduce its first comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation by the end of 2026, aligning its rules with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, according to the country’s finance minister, Andrian Gavrilita.
Gavrilita <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guGFZx0Btxs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">said</a> Wednesday in an interview on the state-owned TVR Moldova that the government is working with regulators to develop a legal framework that would allow citizens to hold and trade cryptocurrencies, while stopping short of recognizing digital assets as a means of payment.
“We have the responsibility to regulate them, and it will be the right of citizens to hold these currencies,” he said. “I’m not sure if we'll manage during the next month, but it’s our engagement with the European Union. You can’t prohibit [cryptocurrencies.]”
The announcement comes over a year after the full implementation of the EU’s <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/mica-attract-crypto-investment-despite-overregulation-concerns-regulatory-expert" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">MiCA</a> framework, the first comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto industry, which went into effect for crypto-asset service providers on Dec. 30, 2024.
The move would mark Moldova’s first formal crypto law. Its central bank has issued numerous <a href="https://www.bnm.md/ro/content/clarificarea-pozitiei-de-reglementare-si-autorizare-monedei-virtuale" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">warnings</a> about the volatility and money laundering risks associated with digital assets.
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 Moldova’s finance minister, Andrian Gavrilita, in an interview with TVR Moldova. Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guGFZx0Btxs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a>
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Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/privacy-constant-battle-blockchain-state" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Privacy is ‘constant battle’ between blockchain stakeholders and state</a>
Under the plan, the draft legislation will be developed jointly by the Finance Ministry, the National Bank of Moldova, the country’s financial markets regulator and its Anti-Money Laundering authority.
The legislation aims to legalize holding and transacting cryptocurrencies, but it won’t include provisions to legalize digital assets for payments within the country, Gavrilita said.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/eu-sec-supervision-stock-crypto-exchanges-startup" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">EU mulls SEC-like oversight for stock, crypto exchanges to bolster startup landscape</a>
<h2 id="cryptocurrencies-a-speculative-domain-warns-moldova-s-finance-minister">Cryptocurrencies a speculative domain, warns Moldova’s finance minister</h2>
Gavrilita highlighted the speculative nature of cryptocurrencies multiple times during the interview. “I avoid using the term investments when it comes to cryptocurrencies,” he said.
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 “I see them more as a speculative domain, but citizens have the right to operate them either way, and this year we’ll have the legislation.”
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While he didn’t share any more specifics about the forthcoming bill, he said that countries like Estonia serve as an example due to the country’s “simplicity” in legislation.
Meanwhile, other countries are pushing back against potential licensing loopholes in Europe’s MiCA framework.
In September 2025, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/france-block-mica-passporting-eu-crypto-firms" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">France became the third</a> European country to call for the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to take over supervision of major crypto firms, joining Austrian and Italian securities regulators.
The move followed growing criticism of Malta’s crypto licensing regime. In July, the ESMA <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/mica-regulator-alarm-malta-crypto-licensing-process" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">released a peer review</a> of the Malta Financial Services Authority’s authorization of a crypto service provider, saying that the regulator only “partially met expectations.”<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIIRHv3cbog?start=" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe>
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/how-crypto-laws-changed-2025-further-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026</a>

Moldova moves to regulate crypto under EU-style MiCA rules

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