IBENA, an Iranian news agency focusing on banking and local economic developments, recently revealed that cryptocurrency mining has been approved as an industry in Iran.
Over the last few months there have also been reports of Iran working on developing a state-backed digital currency.
Clarified Stance On Cryptos Expected By End Of September
According to Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, the National Cyberspace Center has been working closely with the nation’s central bank on managing crypto-related activity in the country.
The Iranian government’s announcement noted that the nation’s central financial institution will serve as a “trustee in [the] foreign exchange area” and as a “decision-making authority” in outlining the framework and policies for the “trade and participation of [local cryptocurrency] startups.”
Iran’s central bank is expected to announce its “definitive” stance on cryptocurrencies toward the end of the month. Firouzabadi also confirmed that the country’s national cryptocurrency will be used as “a financial transaction instrument with Iran’s trade partners”, in order to bypass US-led economic sanctions on the so-called rogue state.
Crypto Mining Officially Approved As Industry
Moreover, IBENA provided important details regarding the acceptance of crypto mining as a legitimate industry in Iran. The local news agency, which is reportedly affiliated with the central bank of Iran, wrote,
“[cryptocurrency] mining like bitcoin has been accepted as an industry in the government and all related organizations to the mining such as Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Central Bank, Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, Ministry of Energy, as well as Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance have agreed it, but the final policy for legislating it hasn't been declared yet.”
Presumably, only government-approved agencies and organizations might be authorized to engage in mining digital currencies, considering that local citizens are still prohibited from engaging in crypto-related activity. However, there have still been reports of Iranian residents who are trading and investing in cryptocurrencies.
In most countries that have banned or restricted cryptocurrency trading such as India and China, local crypto traders have found ways to buy and sell cryptos mainly by using peer-to-peer (P2P) or over-the-counter (OTC) trading options.
