FATF Countries: Which Nations Follow Crypto Rules and Why It Matters

When you trade crypto, you’re not just dealing with technology—you’re navigating a web of FATF countries, nations that follow the Financial Action Task Force’s global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards for digital assets. Also known as FATF member jurisdictions, these countries require exchanges, wallet providers, and even individuals to report transactions and verify identities to prevent criminal use of crypto. This isn’t just bureaucracy—it directly impacts whether you can use a certain exchange, withdraw funds, or even hold crypto legally in your country.

The FATF guidelines, a set of international rules created by the Financial Action Task Force to combat financial crime through digital assets force exchanges to collect names, addresses, and ID numbers for every transfer over $1,000. That’s why platforms like Binance and Kraken ask for your passport in the U.S., Japan, or Germany—but not always in places without these rules. Countries like Iran and Tunisia, as shown in our posts, operate outside these standards, which is why their crypto markets are underground or risky. Meanwhile, places like Japan and Switzerland have built clear, licensed systems that actually attract businesses because they follow FATF rules.

Some countries go even further. Nigeria and Bolivia used to ban crypto outright, but now they’re trying to regulate it under FATF-style frameworks. Others, like China, replaced crypto with their own digital currency—the e-CNY—because it gives the government total control, something FATF doesn’t require but many nations want. This is why FATF countries aren’t just about rules—they’re about power. Who controls the money? Who sees your transactions? And who gets punished if you break the rules?

You’ll find posts here that dig into how these rules play out in real life: how Iran uses mining to dodge sanctions, how Tunisia trades crypto in secret, and how Japan’s strict licensing keeps exchanges honest. You’ll also see how scams like Forteswap and Hopex disappear in places with strong oversight, while unregulated markets become breeding grounds for fraud. The difference isn’t luck—it’s whether a country is a FATF country or not.

Whether you’re trading, staking, or just holding crypto, knowing which countries follow FATF rules helps you avoid legal trouble, find safer exchanges, and understand why some platforms vanish overnight. Below, you’ll find real stories from places where crypto is banned, regulated, or secretly thriving—and why it all ties back to a small group of nations that decided how the world should handle digital money.