Myanmar doesn’t just discourage cryptocurrency-it actively punishes it. If you’re using Bitcoin, Ethereum, or even USDT to send money, trade, or mine, your bank account could be shut down overnight. And that’s just the start.
Account Closure Is the First Strike
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) doesn’t wait for court rulings to act. When they find someone trading crypto, they freeze and close their bank accounts immediately. No warning. No grace period. Just a notice from the bank saying your funds are locked and your account is terminated. This isn’t theoretical. In May 2024, the CBM publicly announced it was actively closing accounts linked to cryptocurrency transactions. They didn’t just threaten-they followed through. People who used Facebook pages to sell USDT, or Telegram groups to swap Bitcoin for kyat, found their savings gone and their access to the formal financial system cut off. The CBM’s logic is simple: crypto is unregulated currency. Only the kyat is legal. Any attempt to bypass that-whether through mining, peer-to-peer trades, or offshore exchanges-is treated as illegal currency conversion. And under Myanmar’s Financial Institutions Law, that’s grounds for immediate account closure.It’s Not Just Your Account-It’s Your Freedom
Closing your bank account is only the beginning. If the CBM decides to escalate, you could face criminal charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Law or the Central Bank of Myanmar Law. That means prison time. There are documented cases. In late 2024, a trader in Mandalay was arrested after police traced USDT transfers from his Facebook page to a local exchange. He spent six months in detention before being fined and released. Another person in Yangon, who mined Bitcoin using modified home servers, was raided in January 2025. His equipment was seized, his accounts closed, and he was charged with violating the Financial Institutions Law. The penalties aren’t vague. They’re written into law: up to five years in prison and fines of up to 5 million kyat (roughly $2,400 USD). These aren’t rare cases-they’re part of a pattern. The CBM has made it clear: they’re not looking to educate. They’re looking to scare.Why Does Myanmar Care So Much?
The answer lies in control. After the 2021 military takeover, the kyat collapsed. Inflation hit 30%. People lost faith in their own currency. Suddenly, crypto looked like a lifeline. Citizens turned to USDT on the Tron network to send money to family abroad, pay for medicine, or avoid capital controls. Underground markets exploded. But the junta couldn’t control it. They couldn’t track it. They couldn’t tax it. That’s unacceptable to a regime that depends on financial surveillance to stay in power. The CBM’s crackdown isn’t about fraud or scams. It’s about power. If people can move money without the state’s permission, the government loses control over the economy. And that’s a threat they won’t tolerate.
What About the National Unity Government?
Here’s where it gets messy. While the military-run CBM bans crypto, the opposition National Unity Government (NUG)-which controls parts of northern Myanmar-declared USDT legal tender in December 2021. In rebel-held areas, people use USDT to pay teachers, doctors, and local militias. Some businesses accept it as cash. That means the same person could be breaking the law in Yangon but following the rules in Kachin State. There’s no official border for digital currency. A transfer that’s legal in one town could land you in jail in the next. This creates a dangerous gray zone where even well-intentioned users can accidentally cross into criminal territory.What’s Happening Underground?
Despite the risks, crypto isn’t disappearing. It’s going deeper. Miners are now using solar-powered rigs hidden in rural villages, running off modified generators to avoid drawing attention. Some use burner phones and public Wi-Fi to trade on decentralized exchanges like PancakeSwap. Peer-to-peer trades happen over Signal and Telegram, often with cash handoffs in crowded markets. USDT dominates this underground economy. Why? Because it’s stable. One USDT = one US dollar. People use it to buy rice, pay for internet, or send money to relatives overseas. The Tron network is preferred because it’s cheaper and faster than Ethereum. But the risks are real. In 2025, a group of miners in Shan State were caught after a neighbor reported their unusually high electricity usage. All seven were arrested. Their equipment was destroyed. Their bank accounts were closed. Their families were left without savings.The Digital Kyat Is Coming
While banning crypto, the military government is quietly building its own digital currency. In June 2025, the CBM launched the Central Committee for the Issuance of Central Bank Digital Currency. Their goal: create a state-controlled digital kyat. This isn’t blockchain. It’s not decentralized. It’s a government app that tracks every transaction. Every payment. Every transfer. The CBM wants to replace cash and crypto with something they can monitor, control, and tax. That’s the real endgame: not to stop digital money, but to own it. And if you’re using crypto instead of the digital kyat? You’re not just breaking rules-you’re resisting the state.
