Crypto in Saudi Arabia: Rules, Trends, and What You Can Do in 2025

When it comes to crypto in Saudi Arabia, the legal and cultural landscape for digital assets is shaped by strict financial oversight and state-backed digital ambitions. Also known as digital currency regulation in the Kingdom, it’s not about banning crypto—it’s about controlling it through the Saudi Central Bank and the Capital Market Authority. Unlike countries that embrace crypto as legal tender, Saudi Arabia treats it as a high-risk asset under watchful eyes.

The Saudi Central Bank, the primary regulator overseeing all financial activity, including crypto transactions. Also known as SAMA, it has never outlawed crypto ownership, but it bans banks from handling crypto purchases. That means you can’t buy Bitcoin with your Al Rajhi account—but you can still buy it on peer-to-peer platforms like Paxful or LocalBitcoins using cash or bank transfers. Many Saudis use VPN services, tools that let users bypass local internet restrictions to access global exchanges. Also known as internet privacy tools, they to reach Binance, Kraken, or Bybit. The government doesn’t stop individuals from holding crypto, but it does monitor suspicious flows through its anti-money laundering systems.

What’s changing fast is the state’s own digital push. Saudi Arabia is building its own digital riyal, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) designed to replace cash and control financial flows. Also known as SAR-DC, it isn’t meant to compete with Bitcoin—it’s meant to replace unregulated crypto use. The Vision 2030 plan includes blockchain for land records, supply chains, and government services, but only on permissioned networks where the state holds the keys. This creates a strange split: private citizens use crypto in the shadows, while the government builds a transparent, state-controlled digital economy.

If you’re in Saudi Arabia and want to use crypto, you’re not alone. Thousands trade on Telegram groups, use DAI stablecoins to avoid riyal volatility, and hold Bitcoin as a hedge. But don’t trust any "official" Saudi crypto exchange—none exist. Even platforms that claim local support are often just P2P fronts. Your safest move? Stick to well-known wallets like Trust Wallet or Ledger, keep your seed phrase offline, and avoid any project promising guaranteed returns. The risks are real, but so are the opportunities—for those who know the rules.

Below, you’ll find real guides on how Saudis bypass restrictions, what exchanges actually work, how taxes might change, and why the digital riyal could change everything. No fluff. Just what you need to know to stay safe and informed in 2025.