Can Businesses in Iran Accept Crypto Legally? 2025 Rules, Risks, and Real-World Workarounds

Can a business in Iran legally accept Bitcoin or Ethereum as payment? The short answer is: yes - but only under a system so tightly controlled, it barely resembles free-market crypto adoption. Unlike El Salvador, where Bitcoin is legal tender, or even Nigeria, where businesses can accept crypto with minimal reporting, Iran has built a cage around cryptocurrency - one that lets money in, but only if the government watches every step.

It’s Not About Banning Crypto - It’s About Controlling It

Iran doesn’t ban cryptocurrency. In fact, it’s one of the few countries where crypto use among businesses has grown steadily despite sanctions. Daily transaction volume hit $22.3 million in mid-2025, up 11.8% from the year before. But here’s the catch: businesses can’t just install a crypto payment button on their website and start accepting Bitcoin. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) demands total control.

Since January 2025, all crypto transactions must go through CBI-approved exchanges like Nobitex, Wallex.ir, or Bitpin.ir. These aren’t just platforms - they’re gatekeepers. Every payment made in crypto must be converted to Iranian rials through these exchanges, and the exchange must report every detail to the CBI in real time. The bank has direct API access to every transaction. No exceptions.

The FX Card: The Hidden Tax on Crypto Payments

The real bottleneck isn’t technology - it’s the Foreign Exchange Card (FX Card). Every business that accepts crypto must link its transactions to this government-issued card. Here’s how it works: when a customer pays in Bitcoin, the exchange converts it to rials and credits the business. But the business doesn’t get to keep those rials as profit. Instead, it’s obligated to return an equivalent amount of foreign currency - dollars, euros, or other hard currency - to the FX Card within one year.

Think of it like a loan. You get rials today, but you owe dollars tomorrow. For a small restaurant or e-commerce store, this creates massive cash flow problems. A 2025 survey by the Iran Chamber of Commerce found that 74% of businesses struggle to meet this requirement. Many end up taking out high-interest loans at 22.4% annual rates just to cover the gap.

And there’s no flexibility. Even if your customer paid in DAI (a stablecoin pegged to the dollar), you still have to return the same dollar value to the FX Card. The system isn’t designed to help businesses - it’s designed to control capital flight.

Compliance Is a Nightmare (And It’s Getting Harder)

Getting approved to accept crypto isn’t easy. Businesses must submit 17 documents - commercial registration, tax ID, energy usage certificates, bank statements, even proof of office space. The average processing time? 23 business days. And even then, 32% of small businesses get rejected outright, according to Trustpilot data from Wallex.ir users.

Once approved, the work doesn’t stop. Every transaction must be recorded with 55 specific data points through the CBI’s API. That adds 4.7 seconds to every checkout. For a busy online store, that’s hundreds of extra seconds per day. Plus, businesses must file Form CR-2025/07 every month - a form that adds about 8.3 hours of accounting work per month, per business.

And if you think you can skip the paperwork? You can’t. The CBI monitors everything. Any mismatch, delay, or missing document triggers an audit. Penalties include fines, license revocation, and in extreme cases, criminal charges.

Advertising Crypto Payments? Illegal.

Here’s something most foreign businesses don’t realize: you can’t tell your customers you accept crypto. Since February 2025, Iran has banned all advertising of cryptocurrency payment options. No banners. No website badges. No social media posts. No flyers. If a business promotes crypto payments, it risks immediate shutdown.

This makes adoption invisible. Customers don’t know they can pay with crypto unless they ask. And most don’t. That’s why only 11% of Iranian e-commerce sites even mention crypto as an option - not because they don’t want to, but because they legally can’t.

Taxes on Crypto Profits? Now It’s Official

In August 2025, Iran introduced its first formal tax on cryptocurrency profits. If your business makes more than 50 million rials ($1,000 USD at official rates) from trading or converting crypto, you owe 25% in capital gains tax. For profits over 500 million rials, the rate jumps to 35%.

This isn’t just about revenue - it’s about control. By taxing crypto profits, the government forces businesses to declare their gains. That means the CBI now has a full financial trail: who’s making money, how much, and where it’s going. For small businesses that use crypto to bypass inflation, this is a major blow.

Who’s Actually Using Crypto? And How?

Despite the hurdles, crypto is alive in Iran - mostly in three sectors:

• E-commerce (34%) - Online stores like Digikala processed $4.2 million in crypto transactions in Q1 2025, all through approved channels.
• Food service (22%) - Cafes and restaurants in Tehran and Isfahan quietly accept crypto from foreign tourists and expats.
• Professional services (19%) - Designers, freelancers, and consultants use crypto to receive payments from clients abroad without bank interference.

Small businesses (under 50 employees) make up 78% of crypto-accepting businesses. They’re the ones most hurt by the FX Card rule - but also the ones most desperate for alternatives to Iran’s collapsing rial.

The top three exchanges dominate the market: Nobitex handles over half of all business crypto transactions, followed by Wallex.ir and Bitpin.ir. These platforms aren’t just payment processors - they’re compliance hubs. They do the paperwork, handle the FX Card reporting, and even offer crypto compliance consultants (137 registered firms as of April 2025) to help businesses navigate the system.

What Happens When Stablecoins Freeze?

In July 2025, Tether froze 42 Iranian-linked addresses holding $12.7 million. This wasn’t a random action - it was a targeted move. These addresses were flagged by Israeli counter-terror financing units for links to IRGC-affiliated entities. The freeze sent shockwaves through Iran’s crypto ecosystem.

Suddenly, businesses that relied on USDT (Tether) as their main stablecoin were stuck. Many had to scramble to switch to DAI, a decentralized stablecoin built on the Polygon network. By mid-2025, DAI transactions already made up 37% of business crypto volume - and analysts predict that will jump to 68% by Q2 2026.

The lesson? Even decentralized crypto isn’t safe when governments and global issuers team up. Iran’s businesses are learning to adapt - but at a cost.

Is This Model Sustainable?

Iran’s system is a paradox. It allows crypto to flow - just not freely. It’s a controlled leak. The government lets businesses use crypto to ease pressure from sanctions and inflation, but only if it can track every dollar, every rial, every transaction.

Experts call it a “surveillance-first” model. It’s not about banning innovation - it’s about owning it. The CBI doesn’t want to stop crypto. It wants to be the only one who controls it.

But this model has cracks. The 23-day system shutdown in late 2024 left over a million businesses unable to process payments. The 11% drop in crypto inflows during H1 2025 shows businesses are pulling back. And the new CBDC - called “Rial Currency” - is set to launch in Q4 2025. This government digital currency could replace crypto entirely, offering the same convenience without the risk of losing control.

Bottom Line: Can You Accept Crypto in Iran?

Yes - but only if you’re ready to play by rules designed to trap you.

If you’re a business owner in Iran:

• You can accept crypto - but only through CBI-approved exchanges.
• You must use the FX Card and repay equivalent foreign currency within one year.
• You cannot advertise crypto payments - ever.
• You’ll pay 25%-35% tax on profits above 50 million rials.
• You’ll spend weeks on paperwork and hours every month on reporting.
• You’re vulnerable to global stablecoin freezes and sudden regulatory shifts.

For most small businesses, the costs outweigh the benefits. But for those who need to bypass sanctions or receive payments from abroad, crypto remains the only viable option - even if it comes with strings attached.

The truth? Iran didn’t create a crypto-friendly environment. It created a crypto-controlled one. And for now, that’s the only game in town.