Categories
Blockchain News Coin News

Tunisian Minister Says He Plans to ‘Decriminalize’ the Buying of Bitcoin

After reports that Tanzanian President Samia Hassan had asked her finance chief to look into cryptocurrencies, Tunisia has become the latest African country to signal a willingness to embrace digital assets. According to remarks attributed to Ali Kooli, Tunisia’s economy minister, the North African state will soon move to decriminalize the buying of bitcoin. This comes after the recently reported arrest of a 17-year-old crypto user.

According to reports, Minister Kooli says he wants to decriminalize the purchase of bitcoin in order to avoid having another Tunisian youth jailed. This by way of running afoul of the country’s unclear cryptocurrency regulation. He said in a recent TV interview:

I will change the law, we cannot put a Tunisian young man in prison for buying bitcoin.

The government official’s remarks follow recent Tunisian reports of the arrest of a 17-year-old crypto user by law enforcement. After the teenager’s reported arrest on suspicion of money laundering, in light of the country’s lack of clear crypto laws, some members of Tunisia’s blockchain community slammed the government’s heavy-handed approach. In addition, on social media crypto enthusiasts and sympathizers launched a movement that denounced the crypto user’s arrest.

Meanwhile, with these comments, Minister Kooli becomes the latest Tunisian official to embrace crypto. In 2020, Marouane Abbasi, governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, said the country needed to follow bitcoin and had to prepare for effective monitoring of its use cases.

What are your thoughts on Tunisia’s plan to decriminalize bitcoin? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Bitcoin News
Regulation, Ali Kooli, Bitcoin, Central Bank of Tunisia, crypto user, cryptocurrency law, Digital Currencies, Law Enforcement, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tunisia, Tunisia blockchain

Tax on Cryptocurrency In India – Complete Guide 2022

Wondering how taxation on crypto works in India? How much do you have to pay tax on cryptocurrency in India? How 1% TDS is levied on crypto? Don’t worry we ...
Read More

New Cryptocurrency Bill Advances to Senate in Brazil

A new cryptocurrency bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies of the Brazilian Congress last week, and is now awaiting review by the Senate for approval. The project, if ...
Read More

USDC Sees Native Launch on Avalanche

USDC, the second leading stablecoin by market cap, has been launched on the Avalanche blockchain as a native token. Previously, users wanting to get USDC in Avalanche had to bridge ...
Read More

Crypto Lender Nexo Launches NFT Lending Desk, Loans up to 20% for Popular NFTs

On December 16, the blockchain-based lending platform Nexo announced the firm has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) lending desk. While the company offered crypto-backed loans using tokens like bitcoin and ...
Read More
Share with Others