Dominican Republic's New Criminal Code Mentions Crypto Assets for First Time, but Only to Combat Pyramid Schemes

August 21 news, according to CriptoNoticias, the Dominican Republic's new Criminal Code, Law No. 74-25, officially took effect in August, mentioning crypto assets in legislation for the first time, but only to criminalize pyramid scheme fraud involving crypto assets, without providing a comprehensive regulatory framework. Article 240 of the law explicitly includes crypto assets within the scope of fraud crimes, but Article 237 on general fraud does not mention digital assets, so daily buying, selling, storage, and payment operations are not regulated by this law. The local Bitcoin community, Bitcoin Dominicana, considers this a "small but important step," but the country's comprehensive regulatory legislation remains stalled—two bills submitted in March 2026 are still pending in the Chamber of Deputies, covering topics such as crypto asset taxation, certification, and the establishment of a National Digital Asset Commission.