Law No. 194 2020 – Your Guide to Crypto Licensing and Regulation

When working with Law No. 194 2020, the Albanian framework that defines how crypto businesses obtain licences, report activities and protect investors. Also known as Albania’s Crypto Law, it sets the baseline for every token offering, exchange registration and AML procedure in the country. Crypto licensing under this law requires a documented business plan, minimum capital, and a compliance officer who can file regular transaction reports and regulatory sandbox programs that let startups test new blockchain solutions with temporary exemptions from certain rules. The law therefore encompasses licensing, sandbox participation, and ongoing supervision, creating a three‑layer safety net for users and innovators alike.

How the law interacts with broader European rules

One of the most talked‑about links is between MiCA the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation that standardises licensing across member states and Albania’s own requirements. MiCA’s “passport” model lets a firm approved in one EU country operate in all 27 without re‑applying, but the firm still must respect local provisions like those in Law No. 194 2020. In practice, the Albanian law requires that any MiCA‑passport holder submit a local registration form and adhere to specific AML thresholds, while MiCA enables cross‑border services such as token custody and stablecoin issuance. This relationship means a project can launch a sandbox test in Albania, gain a full licence under Law No. 194 2020, and then expand across Europe using the MiCA passport – a clear path from local trial to continental rollout.

For anyone scanning the list of articles below, you’ll notice the recurring focus on practical steps: how to file a licence, what documents a sandbox application needs, and how the MiCA passport changes the compliance checklist. Whether you’re an exchange looking to list Bitcoin‑USD pairs, a DeFi team wanting to test a new governance token, or an investor checking the legal safety of a new airdrop, the articles cover the exact pieces of Law No. 194 2020 that matter most. Below you’ll find guides, reviews and checklists that turn the dense legal text into doable actions, so you can move from theory to a working crypto service without getting stuck in paperwork.