Zimbabwe’s Central Bank Bans Financial Institutions From All Crypto Dealings

Financial institutions have been ordered to “ensure that they do not use, trade, hold and/or transact in any way in virtual currencies,” a move which applies to both businesses and individuals. 

Explaining the decision, Mataruka highlighted the interconnectedness of cryptocurrency and the traditional fiat financial system, stating that the RBZ has an “obligation to safeguard the integrity of payment systems”, which the central bank is not prepared to provide for crypto. 

NewsDay reports that the RBZ’s governor John Mangudya warned the public in a separate statement that individuals who trade in cryptocurrency in the country do so “at their own risk”:

“Any person who buys, sells, or otherwise transacts in cryptocurrencies, whether online or otherwise, does so at their own risk and will have no recourse to the Reserve Bank or to any regulatory authority in the country.”

In November 2017, Cointelegraph reported that the RBZ considered the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) as payment illegal until financial authorities develop a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency.

In early April, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a similar ban, prohibiting all entities under its jurisdiction from dealing with crypto-related businesses or individuals.

RBZ’s move also follows a recent warning against cryptocurrencies from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), which issued a circular last month on the risks associated with crypto trading, such as fraud, hacking, and loss of data.