Bitcoin in South Asia: 8 country guides
- Legal in
- 2 of 8
- Restricted or banned
- 3
- Exchanges ranked
- 7
- Rails listed
- 10
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-23
Bitcoin is legal in 2 of the 8 countries in South Asia we cover, banned in 3, and unclear in 3. 3 guides are written legality first and recommend no exchange. Binance is ranked in 5 of the 8, more than any other exchange. Credit or debit card is a listed payment rail in 5 of the 8. 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 8 country guides in South Asia
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.
- AfghanistanBannedLegality-first guide
- BangladeshBannedLegality-first guide
- BhutanUnclear
- Ranked
- 3
- Pays by
- P2P trades settled by local bank transfer
- IndiaLegal
- Ranked
- 5
- Pays by
- UPI
- MaldivesUnclear
- Ranked
- 3
- Pays by
- Credit or debit card
- NepalBannedLegality-first guide
- PakistanLegal
- Ranked
- 2
- Pays by
- IBFT bank transfer
- Sri LankaUnclear
- Ranked
- 3
- Pays by
- P2P trades settled by local bank transfer
Exchanges ranked across South Asia
Ordered by how many of the 8 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.
| Exchange | Ranked in | Ranks first in | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 5 of 8 | 4 | 4.2 |
| Coinmama | 4 of 8 | 0 | 3.9 |
| CEX.IO | 3 of 8 | 0 | 4.0 |
| CoinDCX | 1 of 8 | 1 | 4.0 |
| CoinSwitch | 1 of 8 | 0 | 3.9 |
| WazirXCaution | 1 of 8 | 0 | 2.8 |
| ZebPay | 1 of 8 | 0 | 4.1 |
Payment rails across South Asia
Ordered by how many of the 8 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 rail | Family | Listed in | Primary in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit or debit card | Card | 5 of 8 | 1 |
| P2P trade | Peer-to-peer | 4 of 8 | 2 |
| Cash trade | Cash | 2 of 8 | 0 |
| Wire transfer | International wire | 2 of 8 | 0 |
| Local bank transfer | Domestic bank rail | 1 of 8 | 1 |
| UPI | Domestic bank rail | 1 of 8 | 1 |
| Easypaisa | Local e-wallet | 1 of 8 | 0 |
| IMPS | Domestic bank rail | 1 of 8 | 0 |
| JazzCash | Local e-wallet | 1 of 8 | 0 |
| NEFT | Domestic bank rail | 1 of 8 | 0 |
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 South Asia?
Bitcoin is legal in 2 of the 8 countries in South Asia we cover. It is banned in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The legal position is unclear in Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The guides for Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal 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 South Asia?
Binance is ranked in 5 of the 8 country guides in South Asia, and ranks first in 4. Coinmama follows in 4. 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 South Asia pay for bitcoin?
Credit or debit card is a listed payment rail in 5 of the 8 countries, P2P trade in 4, Cash trade in 2. 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 South Asia have the most exchanges to choose from?
India with 5, Bhutan with 3 and Maldives with 3 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.