Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right HTP activity and leads the file all the way to the Supervisory Board decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get a crypto license in Belarus.
Belarus made crypto lawful back in December 2017. Decree No. 8 routes the whole business through the Hi-Tech Park, a 1% turnover deduction stands in for most taxes, and Decree No. 19 of January 2026 added crypto banks. It is real law with a hard caveat: Western sanctions. We assess that exposure before anything else.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Crypto licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Belarus in brief
An early mover, walled into one park - and sanctioned.
Belarus moved before almost everyone. Decree No. 8 "On the Development of the Digital Economy", signed on 21 December 2017, made token and cryptocurrency business lawful - but exclusively for residents of the Hi-Tech Park in Minsk. The HTP Administration admits crypto platform operators, crypto exchange offices and token issuers, then supervises them, and residency brings the regime's famous economics: a 1% deduction from gross revenue in place of most taxes, against a standard corporate profit rate of 20% outside. Decree No. 19 of 16 January 2026 extended the model with a new category, the crypto bank - a joint-stock HTP resident, entered in a National Bank register, that combines deposits, loans and transfers with digital-token operations under dual oversight of the HTP Administration and the National Bank.
Now the part many advisers skip. Belarus sits under extensive Western sanctions, and for an internationally facing business that is not a footnote: correspondent banking in dollars and euros, card rails and Western counterparties are severely constrained, and some ownership structures cannot touch the country at all. The regime realistically suits specific regional models - CIS-facing flows, ruble corridors, teams already anchored in the region. We run a written sanctions-exposure assessment on your ownership, counterparties and payment geography before recommending Belarus, and when the answer is another jurisdiction, we say so. Where it fits, the HTP remains one of the cheapest legal homes for crypto anywhere, and it has operated without interruption since 2018.
Belarus legalised crypto with Decree No. 8 (21 December 2017) - lawful exclusively for Hi-Tech Park residents, who pay a 1% turnover deduction in place of most taxes. Decree No. 19 (16 January 2026) added crypto banks under HTP and National Bank oversight.
The hard caveat: Western sanctions constrain dollar and euro banking, cards and counterparties. The regime suits regional, CIS-facing models - we assess your sanction exposure in writing before recommending it.
The regime
One park, two ways in.
Everything runs through HTP residency: the classic Decree No. 8 activities, and since January 2026 the crypto bank. The first job is the sanctions screen; the second is the HTP file. We do both, in that order.
Everything runs through HTP residency - Decree No. 8 activities, plus crypto banks since January 2026. Sanctions screen first.
01 - HTP RESIDENT · DECREE No. 8
Exchange, exchange office, tokens
The classic route since 2018: admission to the Hi-Tech Park for the crypto activities Decree No. 8 defines - platforms, exchange offices, issuance and mining - with the HTP Administration as supervisor.
The classic route since 2018: admission to the Hi-Tech Park for the crypto activities Decree No. 8 defines - platforms, exchange offices, issuance and mining - with the HTP Administration as supervisor.
- ✓Crypto platform operator - the exchange
- ✓Cryptocurrency exchange office
- ✓Token issuance and ICO organisation
- ✓Mining as a business activity
- ✓AML/CFT under Belarusian law and HTP rules
- ✓HTP Administration supervision
02 - CRYPTO BANK · DECREE No. 19
Signed 16 January 2026The crypto bank
The new category: a joint-stock company holding HTP residency and a place in the National Bank's register, combining traditional banking services with digital-token operations - about 26 tokens are admitted, bitcoin and ether among them.
Crypto bank: a joint-stock HTP resident in the National Bank's register, mixing banking services with tokens - about 26 admitted.
- ✓Deposits, loans and transfers alongside tokens
- ✓Joint-stock company form required
- ✓HTP residency plus National Bank register entry
- ✓Roughly 26 admitted tokens, incl. BTC and ETH
- ✓Staking, lending and token issuance in scope
- ✓Dual oversight - HTP Administration + National Bank
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins - and for Belarus we start one step earlier, with a written sanctions-exposure assessment. Correspondent banking, card rails and Western counterparties are severely constrained, and we say so before you spend anything.
Why Belarus
Cheap, tested - and only for the right model.
The framework rests on Decree No. 8 of 2017 and now Decree No. 19 of 2026, supervised through the Hi-Tech Park - with economics no EU regime matches and a reach sanctions genuinely limit.
✓
An early, tested regime
Crypto business has been lawful here since Decree No. 8 took effect in March 2018. The HTP has admitted and supervised crypto residents for eight years - this is settled practice, not a pilot.Lawful since March 2018 - settled practice.
✓
One address for everything
Admission, supervision and reporting all run through the HTP Administration in Minsk. There is no multi-regulator maze: one park, one rulebook, one counterparty for the file.One park, one rulebook, one supervisor.
✓
The 1% deduction
HTP residents pay 1% of gross revenue to the park in place of most taxes, and token turnover is exempt from VAT. Outside the park, corporate profit tax is 20% - the delta is the whole point.Versus 20% corporate outside the park.
✓
Crypto banks since 2026
Decree No. 19 of 16 January 2026 created joint-stock crypto banks under HTP and National Bank oversight - a licensed way to mix deposits, transfers and tokens that few jurisdictions offer at any price.Decree No. 19 - banking plus tokens.
✓
Individuals still favoured - conditionally
Personal income from tokens traded through HTP-registered platforms stays exempt. Since 1 January 2025, gains made through foreign platforms are declared and taxed at 13% - the exemption narrowed, and we model both sides.HTP platforms exempt; foreign ones 13%.
✓
The honest caveat: sanctions
Western sanctions constrain dollar and euro banking, cards and counterparties. Belarus fits regional, CIS-facing models - and we put a written sanctions assessment in front of you before any commitment.Regional models only - assessed in writing.
How it compares
How Belarus differs from other routes.
Belarus is the cheapest tested regime in the region - inside a sanctions perimeter. The honest comparison is below.
Belarus vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Belarus | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory regime | HTP residency (Decree No. 8) | Licence or registration routes |
| Perimeter | HTP residents only | Usually nationwide |
| Tax | 1% HTP turnover deduction | Ranges widely |
| International reach | Constrained by sanctions | Ranges widely |
Regulatory regime
BelarusHTP residency (Decree No. 8)
Other jurisdictionsLicence or registration routes
Perimeter
BelarusHTP residents only
Other jurisdictionsUsually nationwide
Tax
Belarus1% HTP turnover deduction
Other jurisdictionsRanges widely
International reach
BelarusConstrained by sanctions
Other jurisdictionsRanges widely
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belarus | HTP residency (Decree No. 8) | 1% HTP deduction | Tested regime, sanctions caveat |
 Kyrgyzstan | Virtual assets licence (FinSupervision) | 10% corporate | Active register, two tiers |
 Kazakhstan | AIFC DASP licence (AFSA) | 20% corporate | AIFC perimeter, supervised |
 Georgia | VASP registration (NBG) | 15% corporate | Registration since 2023, AML-led |
BelarusLicense typeHTP residency (Decree No. 8)
Taxation1% HTP deduction
RequirementsTested regime, sanctions caveat
KyrgyzstanLicense typeVirtual assets licence (FinSupervision)
Taxation10% corporate
RequirementsActive register, two tiers
KazakhstanLicense typeAIFC DASP licence (AFSA)
Taxation20% corporate
RequirementsAIFC perimeter, supervised
GeorgiaLicense typeVASP registration (NBG)
Taxation15% corporate
RequirementsRegistration since 2023, AML-led
Before you apply
Requirements for the HTP route.Requirements for the HTP route.
The HTP Supervisory Board reviews a business project, then residency brings ongoing duties. The checklist below is what an admitted file is built around - plus the step no Belarus checklist should omit.
01
Sanctions-exposure review - ownership, counterparties and payment geography assessed in writing before anything else.
02
Belarusian entity - a locally registered company as the vehicle for HTP admission.
03
HTP business project - the activity described and defended before the HTP Supervisory Board.
04
Fit & proper founders - UBOs disclosed, records clean and documentable.
05
Capital and financing - as HTP rules set for the activity; crypto platforms carry fixed minimums, scoped in your quote.
06
AML/CFT framework - KYC, monitoring and reporting under Belarusian law and HTP rules, with a named officer.
07
Local substance - a registered address in the park and real management in Belarus.
08
Systems and cybersecurity the HTP Administration can audit.
09
For crypto banks - joint-stock form and entry in the National Bank's register under Decree No. 19.
10
Ongoing reporting - the 1% deduction paid and HTP reports filed on schedule.
11
Exit realism - a plan for what happens to flows and clients if sanctions widen.
01
Sanctions-exposure review, in writing, first.
02
Belarusian company as the vehicle.
03
Business project for the Supervisory Board.
04
Fit & proper founders, UBOs disclosed.
05
Capital per HTP rules for the activity.
06
AML/CFT with a named officer.
07
Registered address and real management.
08
Systems the HTP can audit.
09
Crypto banks: JSC + National Bank register.
10
1% deduction and reports on schedule.
11
A plan if sanctions widen.
Reflects Decree No. 8 (21 December 2017), HTP practice and Decree No. 19 (16 January 2026), as of 2026. Crypto business outside the HTP remains unlawful in Belarus - and sanctions constraints apply regardless of how clean the licensing file is.Decree No. 8 (2017) + Decree No. 19 (2026), as of 2026. Crypto business outside the HTP is unlawful.
How it works
From first call to HTP residency.
01
Sanctions screen and strategy
We assess your ownership, counterparties and payment geography against current sanctions in writing - and only then map the activity to Decree No. 8 or Decree No. 19.Exposure assessed; activity mapped.
02
Belarusian company
Local incorporation in the right form - joint-stock for a crypto bank - with the governance and substance the park expects.Right form - JSC for a crypto bank.
03
The HTP file
The business project, AML/KYC pack, financing evidence and systems documentation - drafted to the standard the Supervisory Board reviews.Project, AML pack, financing - Board-grade.
04
Supervisory Board review
The application defended before the HTP Supervisory Board, with question rounds answered until the admission decision.Defended through to the admission decision.
05
Residency and operations
Admission granted, the 1% deduction and reporting running, and for crypto banks the National Bank register entry completed.1% and reporting live; NB register if needed.
Quick facts
SupervisorHTP Administration
FrameworkDecree No. 8 (2017)
Crypto banksDecree No. 19 (16 Jan 2026)
RouteHTP residency only
HTP tax1% of gross revenue
Standard corporate20% outside HTP
Personal, foreign platforms13% since 2025
CaveatSanctions - assessed first
The regime is real and the economics are genuine - but sanctions decide who can actually use it. We put that assessment in writing before the first invoice.
On the ground in Belarus
Run from our Dubai office, with Belarusian counsel.
Prifinance - Belarus desk
Minsk · Belarus
Minsk, Belarus
01
Sanctions screen first
A written assessment of your ownership, counterparties and flows against current sanctions - before incorporation, not after.Ownership, counterparties, flows - in writing.
02
Company and HTP admission
The Belarusian entity formed and the business project drafted, filed and defended before the HTP Supervisory Board.Entity formed; project defended at the Board.
03
The compliance layer
AML/KYC policies, reporting calendars and the 1% deduction mechanics - set up so residency survives its first audit.AML pack, reporting, the 1% mechanics.
04
Banking and operations
Rails built realistically: Belarusian and regional banks, ruble corridors, and a plain statement of what Western rails will refuse.Regional rails; Western limits stated plainly.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of crypto companies in Belarus.
HTP residency replaces most taxes with a 1% deduction from gross revenue - against a 20% standard corporate rate outside. The personal rules split in 2025, and sanctions shape where the money can move.
The 1% HTP deduction
Residents pay 1% of gross revenue to the HTP Administration in place of most taxes on qualifying activity. It is a turnover model - simple to compute, and very hard to beat on rate.Turnover-based, in place of most taxes.
20% standard corporate
Outside the park, Belarusian companies pay 20% profit tax. The gap between 20% and the 1% model is why every serious crypto project here structures through the HTP.Outside the park - the gap is the point.
No VAT on token turnover
Token operations of HTP residents are exempt from VAT under the Decree No. 8 framework - one of the reasons the 1% economics hold up in practice.Exempt for HTP residents.
Individuals: split rules since 2025
The blanket personal exemption ran until 1 January 2025 under Decree No. 80. Since then, deals through HTP-registered platforms stay exempt, while foreign-platform gains are declared by 31 March and taxed at 13%.HTP exempt; foreign platforms 13%.
Sanctions shape the flows
Dollar and euro correspondent banking and card rails are constrained, so the practical tax model runs on ruble and regional corridors. We model what will actually settle, not what a treaty table promises.Ruble and regional corridors modelled.
Records serve both
The AML and HTP record-keeping residency requires also underpins the tax position - regulator-grade books double as tax-office-grade books.Regulator-grade books serve tax too.
Tax summary
HTP deduction1% of gross revenue
Corporate tax (standard)20%
VAT on token turnoverExempt for HTP residents
Personal, HTP platformsExempt
Personal, foreign platforms13% since 2025
CurrencyBYN
*As of 2026. The personal exemption narrowed on 1 January 2025 and the rules keep moving - we confirm the current position for your case, together with the sanctions constraints on flows.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Belarusian company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, HTP-registered business.
Follow Prifinance
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Belarus · HTP
Launch your crypto project in Belarus with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from the sanctions screen and company registration to HTP residency and ongoing compliance.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Belarus the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: whether the HTP route fits your business - including a plain read on sanction exposure.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Belarus crypto regime, answered.
Is crypto legal in Belarus?+
Yes - since Decree No. 8 of 21 December 2017 took effect in March 2018. Token issuance, exchange and mining are lawful as business activities, but exclusively for residents of the Hi-Tech Park, which admits and supervises crypto companies.
What is the HTP route?+
You register a Belarusian company, present a business project to the HTP Supervisory Board and, on admission, operate under HTP rules: 1% of gross revenue paid to the park in place of most taxes, AML duties, and the HTP Administration as supervisor.
What are crypto banks?+
A category created by Decree No. 19 of 16 January 2026: joint-stock HTP residents, entered in a National Bank register, that combine deposits, loans and transfers with digital-token operations. Around 26 tokens are admitted, bitcoin and ether included, under dual HTP and National Bank oversight.
What about sanctions?+
This is the decisive question, and we answer it plainly. Belarus is under extensive Western sanctions: correspondent banking in dollars and euros, card rails and Western counterparties are severely constrained. The regime suits regional, CIS-facing models. We assess your specific exposure in writing first - and sometimes the honest advice is a different jurisdiction.
How are HTP companies taxed?+
A 1% deduction from gross revenue replaces most taxes on qualifying activity, and token turnover is VAT-exempt. Outside the HTP the standard corporate profit rate is 20% - which is why the park is the only structure worth discussing.
How are individuals taxed on crypto?+
The blanket exemption ended on 1 January 2025. Deals through HTP-registered platforms remain exempt; gains made through foreign platforms are declared by 31 March and taxed at 13%. We confirm the current position, since these rules have moved almost yearly.
Who is Belarus actually for?+
Teams with regional roots and regional flows: CIS-facing exchanges, ruble-corridor payment models, mining tied to local infrastructure. For a business that needs Western banking, cards or EU counterparties, the 1% rate cannot compensate - and we say so in the opinion.
How long does HTP admission take?+
The Supervisory Board reviews projects in cycles, so timing depends on the calendar and the quality of the file. We fix a realistic timeline in writing before starting, and our files are built to pass the first reading rather than accumulate question rounds.
Is crypto legal in Belarus?+
Yes - Decree No. 8, via HTP residency only.
The HTP route?+
Project defended at the Board; 1% regime after.
Crypto banks?+
Decree No. 19 (2026) - banking plus tokens, JSC.
Sanctions?+
Severe Western constraints - assessed first, in writing.
Company taxes?+
1% of turnover in the HTP; 20% outside.
Personal taxes?+
HTP platforms exempt; foreign ones 13% since 2025.
Who is it for?+
Regional, CIS-facing models - not Western-facing ones.
Admission timing?+
Board cycles - a realistic timeline fixed in writing.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”
Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
Google
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Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: whether the HTP route fits your business, sanctions exposure included.Free legal opinion: whether the Belarus HTP route fits your project - sanctions exposure included.
✓Written legal opinion within 2-5 business days - free of charge✓A plain read on sanction exposure before any commitment✓Transparent fixed fees, confirmed up front✓EN · RU · ES speaking team
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Hi-Tech Park Administration, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus or any other public authority. Licences and registrations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.