The South African Treasury and the Central Bank have released a draft manual for the regulation of cross-border crypto assets, seeking public opinion

The South African National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have jointly released the "Draft Manual on Cross-Border Crypto Asset Activities," which is now open for public consultation, with a deadline of September 30, 2026.

This manual is implemented in conjunction with the previously released "Draft Regulations on Capital Flow Management 2026," aiming to strengthen the regulation of cross-border financial activities and prevent the risks of illegal fund flows related to crypto assets.

The manual specifies the triggers for cross-border crypto asset transactions—when crypto assets are transferred between authorized CASPs in South Africa and foreign CASPs, or when they are transferred from an authorized CASP in South Africa to a non-custodial wallet, this constitutes cross-border capital inflow or outflow and must be reported to the Financial Surveillance Department (FinSurv).

It is noteworthy that, at this stage, individuals are only allowed to conduct outbound crypto asset operations through authorized CASPs within a single discretionary limit or foreign capital limit, and South African entities are currently not permitted to engage in related cross-border operations.

Furthermore, the manual does not currently differentiate between different types of crypto assets, nor does it classify crypto assets as South Africa's official currency.