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Bitcoin in Africa: 58 country guides

Legal in
44 of 58
Restricted or banned
6
Exchanges ranked
8
Rails listed
30
Last reviewed
2026-08-20

Bitcoin is legal in 44 of the 58 countries in Africa we cover, restricted in 1, banned in 5, and unclear in 8. 6 guides are written legality first and recommend no exchange. Binance is ranked in 49 of the 58, more than any other exchange. P2P trade is a listed payment rail in 48 of the 58. Each guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the tables below count guides rather than restate any one of them.

The 58 country guides in Africa

Each card shows the guide's legal status, how many exchanges it ranks, and the payment rail locals lead with. A legality-first guide recommends nothing and says so.

South Atlantic2

Eastern Africa20

Middle Africa9

Northern Africa7

Southern Africa5

Western Africa16

  • BeninLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    MTN MoMo
  • Burkina FasoLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • Cape VerdeLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Credit or debit card
  • Cote d'IvoireLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • GambiaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    P2P trades settled by local bank transfer
  • GhanaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    MTN MoMo
  • GuineaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • Guinea BissauLegal
    Ranked
    2
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • LiberiaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • MaliLegal
    Ranked
    2
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • MauritaniaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    P2P marketplaces
  • NigerLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Airtel Money
  • NigeriaLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Naira bank transfer (NGN)
  • SenegalLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Wave
  • Sierra LeoneLegal
    Ranked
    2
    Pays by
    Orange Money
  • TogoLegal
    Ranked
    3
    Pays by
    Moov Money

Exchanges ranked across Africa

Ordered by how many of the 58 guides rank each platform. A wide reach is a fact about availability, not a recommendation; the guide for your own country is where the ranking lives.

Exchanges ranked in at least one country guide in Africa, ordered by how many of the 58 guides rank them, with the number of first places and our editorial rating.
ExchangeRanked inRanks first inRating
Binance49 of 58294.2
CEX.IO39 of 5804.0
Coinmama30 of 5813.9
Yellow Card20 of 58184.1
Kraken6 of 5804.7
Luno3 of 5824.0
Relai2 of 5824.5
Coinbase2 of 5804.5

Payment rails across Africa

Ordered by how many of the 58 guides list each rail in their payment vocabulary, and how many lead with it. Counted under the registry name; each guide uses the local one.

Payment rails listed by at least one country guide in Africa, ordered by how many of the 58 guides list them, with how many treat each as their primary rail.
Payment railFamilyListed inPrimary in
P2P tradePeer-to-peer48 of 586
Credit or debit cardCard47 of 588
Local bank transferDomestic bank rail29 of 586
Orange MoneyMobile money13 of 5811
MTN MoMoMobile money12 of 5810
Airtel MoneyMobile money12 of 588
Cash tradeCash8 of 580
Wire transferInternational wire8 of 580
Moov MoneyMobile money7 of 586
M-PesaMobile money5 of 584
EcoCashMobile money3 of 580
Mobile moneyMobile money3 of 580

18 more rails are listed by a single guide each; the payment rails hub carries every one with the countries that use it.

How this grouping is drawn

Membership follows the region and subregion recorded on each country guide. The guide, not this hub, is where a country's facts are sourced; this page only counts them.

Frequently asked questions

Is bitcoin legal in Africa?

Bitcoin is legal in 44 of the 58 countries in Africa we cover. It is restricted in Sudan. It is banned in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and Tunisia. The legal position is unclear in 8 countries. The guides for Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan and Tunisia are written legality first and recommend no exchange. Each country guide carries the sourced legal note behind its status.

Which exchange works in the most countries in Africa?

Binance is ranked in 49 of the 58 country guides in Africa, and ranks first in 29. CEX.IO follows in 39. Each guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the same exchange can sit first in one country and fourth in the next.

How do people in Africa pay for bitcoin?

P2P trade is a listed payment rail in 48 of the 58 countries, Credit or debit card in 47, Local bank transfer in 29. Counted from each guide's own payment vocabulary, under the local name the guide uses; the rail's own page lists every country that carries it.

Which countries in Africa have the most exchanges to choose from?

South Africa with 5, Kenya with 4 and Mauritius with 4 ranked exchanges. A count is how many platforms the guide ranks after checking that each one serves residents and takes a local payment rail, not how many claim the country on their own site.

How is Africa divided on this site?

Into 6 subregions, following the subregion field on each country record: South Atlantic (2), Eastern Africa (20), Middle Africa (9), Northern Africa (7), Southern Africa (5), Western Africa (16). Each has its own hub with the same tables at a finer grain.

More regions

Other regions

Every region, subregion and bloc