Azerbaijan Plans to Introduce Crypto Market Regulatory Law This Year, Requiring Companies to Operate with a License

According to Bits.media, Fidan Tofidi, Director of the Financial Technology and Innovation Department of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, stated that the country's Virtual Asset Market Regulation Bill has been drafted and submitted for deliberation, and is expected to be formally enacted within the year. The bill requires all companies engaged in crypto asset business to obtain a license issued by the central bank, prohibits unauthorized operations within the territory, and subjects licensed institutions to ongoing supervision. The regulatory framework will cover compliance requirements such as anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and customer identification (KYC), and will be incorporated into Azerbaijan's 2027—2030 Financial Market Development Strategy.