Jordan's banks, USDT (Tether) and crypto: what does the Central Bank of Jordan say?
In short
On 17 May 2026 the Central Bank of Jordan cancelled its earlier virtual-currency ban circulars and issued Instructions No. 6/2026, which require banks to open their payment channels so clients can deal with virtual-asset service providers licensed by the Jordan Securities Commission, while dealing with unlicensed ones stays banned. As of 23 October 2026 no company holds that licence, and as of 24 October we found no official announcement of a Jordanian bank that sells or holds crypto for its clients.
On this page
- What does the Central Bank of Jordan say about banks and crypto today?
- What do Instructions No. 6/2026 allow and ban?
- What happened to the old crypto ban?
- What does the virtual-assets law say about banks?
- Which Jordanian banks deal in crypto?
- What does this mean when you pay for USDT from your bank account?
- What is the central bank doing about stablecoins?
What does the Central Bank of Jordan say about banks and crypto today?
On 17 May 2026 the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) issued Instructions No. 6/2026, “Instructions regulating the dealings of entities under the Central Bank’s supervision, and their clients, with virtual assets and virtual-asset service providers”. They took effect on the day they were issued and are published in Arabic on the CBJ’s payment systems legislation page.
They apply to every CBJ-supervised entity, including foreign branches: banks and Islamic banks, payment and e-money transfer companies, finance, exchange and insurance companies.
In short: banks may serve virtual-asset service providers (VASPs) licensed by the Jordan Securities Commission (JSC) and let clients deal with them, while dealing with unlicensed providers stays banned. (Law No. 14 of 2025 defines a virtual asset as a digital representation of value that can be traded or transferred digitally and used for payment or investment.)
What do Instructions No. 6/2026 allow and ban?
The main rules, as written in the published text, with article numbers:
| Topic | What the instructions say | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts for licensed providers | A bank may open operating accounts for JSC-licensed VASPs without the CBJ’s prior approval, and a separate escrow account for their clients’ money, under conditions | 6 |
| Payment channels for clients | Banks and payment service providers must open their payment tools and channels so clients can deal with JSC-licensed VASPs; the ban on dealing directly or indirectly with VASPs not licensed by the JSC continues | 13(a) |
| Unlicensed parties | Every CBJ-supervised entity must ban all transactions with any party that does not hold a JSC VASP licence, and may not carry out or facilitate virtual-asset transactions for parties not licensed by the JSC | 8, 12(c) |
| Money from trading venues abroad | A bank may, at its discretion and after verifying the source of funds, accept virtual-asset-related funds from a foreign party, once per client for each foreign trading venue | 13(b) |
| Providers abroad | A bank may let a JSC-licensed VASP send and receive funds with VASPs outside Jordan that the JSC has approved | 14 |
| The bank’s own money | Entities may not invest in virtual assets on their own account, accept them as loan collateral, invest in companies or funds whose core business is virtual assets, or use them to settle obligations | 12 |
| Account monitoring | Banks and payment service providers must review existing client accounts and monitor transactions to detect undeclared VASP activity | 7, 9 |
Breaches can bring the penalties set in the laws that govern each entity (Article 15).
What happened to the old crypto ban?
On 20 February 2014 the CBJ told licensed banks, financial, exchange and payment card companies that bitcoin is a virtual currency that is “not legal”, and banned them from dealing in it in any form, exchanging it, opening accounts to trade it, or sending and receiving transfers to buy or sell it. The Jordan Times reported the CBJ’s public warning on 22 February 2014.
Circulars titled “ban on dealing in virtual currency” followed in 2018, 2019 and 2021, then another (No. 9519/4/9) on 11 June 2024. Article 16 of Instructions No. 6/2026 cancelled all five; the CBJ website now marks the older ones “cancelled”.
What does the virtual-assets law say about banks?
Law No. 14 of 2025 gives the JSC the power to license and supervise VASPs (Article 6). Three articles deal with banks and the CBJ directly:
- Article 11: CBJ-supervised companies, such as banks, count as licensed for two activities only, exchange against Jordanian or foreign currency and custody, after the CBJ’s prior approval, and under its supervision.
- Article 10: the CBJ may accept virtual assets for payments in Jordan by instructions. Until then, VASPs may not use them, or help others use them, to pay for goods, services or financial obligations.
- Article 9(c): VASPs’ bank accounts are not covered by banking secrecy against any inquiry from the JSC Chairman.
As of 24 October 2026 we found no CBJ instructions allowing payments under Article 10, and no published approval for a bank or company under Article 11. Instructions No. 6/2026 say they are issued under the CBJ Law, the Banking Law and the electronic payments regulation. For the full legal picture, read is USDT legal in Jordan?.
Which Jordanian banks deal in crypto?
We do not publish a list of banks: as of 24 October 2026 we found no official source naming a Jordanian bank that sells crypto to its clients or holds it for them. What applies to every bank is Instructions No. 6/2026: payment channels open to JSC-licensed VASPs, closed to unlicensed ones. And the current picture is this:
As of 23 October 2026, no company holds a virtual-asset service provider (VASP) licence from the Jordan Securities Commission. On 22 September 2026 the JSC stated that no VASP is licensed by it and that applications are still under review.
So if anyone tells you today that a bank or company is “licensed by the JSC” to trade crypto, that contradicts the JSC’s own statement. Some rules are left to each bank’s judgement, such as accepting funds from foreign trading venues, so ask your bank directly about its policy.
What does this mean when you pay for USDT from your bank account?
CliQ is owned and run by JoPACC (Jordan Payments and Clearing Company) under Central Bank of Jordan supervision. It moves dinars only, inside Jordan only; your bank app shows the payee’s full name before you confirm; and one transfer can be up to JD 10,000, with each bank free to set a lower or daily limit.
| Through your bank (CliQ or bank transfer) | On the blockchain | |
|---|---|---|
| What moves | Jordanian dinars | USDT |
| What you check before confirming | The payee’s full name and the amount | The wallet address and network (TRC20 or BEP20) |
| Who supervises it | The CBJ supervises banks; CliQ is under its supervision | It does not pass through the bank |
| Limit | Up to JD 10,000 per CliQ transfer; each bank may set less | The CliQ limit does not apply |
The bank moves dinars; the USDT reaches your wallet on the network from whoever sold it. Under Instructions No. 6/2026 your bank reviews accounts for large or high-value virtual-asset transactions and dealings with unlicensed providers, and monitors transactions to detect undeclared provider activity (Articles 7 and 9).
For transparency: Vexjo, which owns this site, takes payment in its app by CliQ, and through its OTC desk by bank transfer (IBAN) or cash. On licensing, Vexjo applied under Jordan’s virtual-asset law (application no. VASP-20260328-25) and in June 2026 became the first company to complete all of the Jordan Securities Commission’s licensing requirements. It has not been issued a licence yet, and neither has any other company.
Disclosure: this site is owned by Vexjo Virtual Assets LLC. About us
For CliQ steps and common mistakes, read buying USDT with CliQ; for scam warning signs, read the USDT safety checklist.
What is the central bank doing about stablecoins?
Stablecoins are tokens pegged to a traditional currency; USDT is one, which Tether says is pegged 1-to-1 to the US dollar. The CBJ announced two related activities in 2026:
- Stablecoin workshop: on 26 August 2026 the CBJ and the MENA FinTech Association (MFTA) concluded a workshop on asset tokenisation and digital-asset risk, under Deputy Governor Ziad Ghanma’s patronage and attended by JSC Chairman Emad Abu Haltam. It covered stablecoin policies and legislation, integrating them into Jordan’s financial system, cross-border payments and anti-money-laundering checks.
- JO REGBOX sandbox: on 23 September 2026 Governor Dr Adel Sharkas said the sandbox has tested 12 innovative products within 12 companies, in fields that include virtual assets.
Neither sets a new rule for the public, and as of 24 October 2026 we found no CBJ instructions allowing payment with stablecoins. To see why the USDT price differs from the bank dollar rate, read USDT market price vs the bank rate.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Central Bank of Jordan allow banks to deal with crypto?
Instructions No. 6/2026 let banks open accounts for virtual-asset service providers licensed by the Jordan Securities Commission and require them to open payment channels so clients can deal with those providers. They ban dealing with unlicensed providers, investing in virtual assets on the bank's own account, and accepting them as loan collateral.
Which Jordanian bank sells USDT or crypto?
As of 24 October 2026 we found no official announcement of a Jordanian bank selling crypto to its clients or holding it for them, and no published central bank approval for one. So we do not publish a list of banks.
Is the central bank's 2014 bitcoin circular still in force?
No. Article 16 of Instructions No. 6/2026, issued on 17 May 2026, cancelled it along with four later circulars from 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
Can I pay with USDT in shops in Jordan?
Article 10 of the virtual-assets law says providers may not use virtual assets, or help others use them, to pay for goods, services or debts in Jordan unless the central bank allows it by instructions. As of 24 October 2026 we found no instructions that allow it.
Does my bank monitor crypto-related transfers?
Yes. Instructions No. 6/2026 require banks and payment service providers to review client accounts for large or high-value virtual-asset transactions and dealings with unlicensed providers, and to monitor transactions to detect undeclared provider activity.
Can I receive money from a foreign trading platform into my bank account?
The instructions let a bank, at its own discretion and after checking where the money comes from, accept virtual-asset-related funds from a foreign party, once per client for each foreign trading venue. The decision is the bank's.
Who licenses virtual-asset companies in Jordan?
The Jordan Securities Commission, under Law No. 14 of 2025. Companies supervised by the central bank, such as banks, count as licensed only for exchange against currency and custody, and only after the central bank's prior approval.
Sources
- Instructions No. (6/2026) regulating dealings of entities supervised by the Central Bank and their clients with virtual assets and virtual-asset service providers (Arabic)
- Payment systems legislation (list of instructions and circulars, including cancelled ones; Arabic)
- Circular on dealing in virtual currencies (cancelled; Arabic)
- Central bank warns against using bitcoin
- Law No. (14) of 2025 Regulating Dealing in Virtual Assets (law text, Arabic)
- Jordan Securities Commission statement on virtual-asset service providers
- CBJ concludes workshop on asset tokenisation, digital-asset risk management and open finance with MFTA (Arabic)
- CBJ Governor opens the second Jordan FinTech Festival 2026 (Arabic)
- About the Central Bank of Jordan (supervision of banks; Arabic)
- CliQ FAQs (currency, transfers inside Jordan, payee name)
- CliQ Features (limit per transaction)