Short answer: Yes — Nepal Rastra Bank’s January 2022 notice remains in force. Use, trade, mining, or investment in virtual currencies is prohibited; the prohibition has since extended to NFTs and DeFi instruments.
What that means in practice.
- Crypto is not legal tender, not a recognised investment, and exchanges are not licenced.
- The Foreign Exchange Act treats crypto transactions as foreign-exchange offences.
- NRB has issued repeated reminders; the legal posture has not softened in 2026.
Law vs practice. Some Nepalis still transact via overseas exchanges and peer-to-peer rails. The risk is real and dated case-law shows the penalties can scale to imprisonment when amounts cross the NPR 1 crore threshold.
Is there appetite in Nepal for a regulated framework? What would you want in it?
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