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Retail cryptocurrency trading is legally permitted in Guatemala but remains unregulated. The Banco de Guatemala (BANGUAT) and Superintendencia de Bancos (SIB) have repeatedly clarified that while cryptocurrencies are not legal tender, their private use and exchange are not prohibited. A specific legislative framework, 'Bill 6538' (Ley de Criptomonedas), was introduced in May 2025 to regulate the sector and establish a licensing regime, but it has not yet been enacted into law. Currently, no specific licenses are required to trade, and activities are conducted at the user's own risk without consumer protection.

Superintendencia de Bancos (SIB): Primary financial regulator; issues warnings about the lack of consumer protection and supervises the banking sector's interaction with crypto.
Banco de Guatemala (BANGUAT): Central bank responsible for monetary policy; maintains that the Quetzal is the sole legal tender and crypto assets are not state-backed.
Intendencia de Verificación Especial (IVE): Likely future AML/CFT supervisor under proposed legislation; currently monitors financial flows for suspicious activity generally.

Bill 6538 (Ley de Criptomonedas) (Iniciativa de Ley 6538)
- Proposed in May 2025 by Deputy Shirley Rivera. Aims to regulate the use, exchange, and storage of crypto assets, requiring platforms to register with the SIB and comply with AML/KYC standards. It would recognize crypto as a valid method of payment if accepted voluntarily.
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Monetary Law (Ley Monetaria) (Decreto No. 17-2002) - Enacted: 2002-05-01
- Establishes the Quetzal as the only legal tender in Guatemala. Articles 1 and 2 are frequently cited by BANGUAT to clarify that cryptocurrencies do not have legal tender status.
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No Consumer Protection: The SIB explicitly states that crypto platforms are 'not under vigilance,' meaning users have no recourse in case of fraud or bankruptcy.
Banking Access: Banks are prohibited from holding crypto on their balance sheets and may block transactions to known crypto exchanges due to de-risking policies.
Taxation: While no specific crypto tax law exists, capital gains are generally taxed at 10% under the general tax regime (Ley de Actualización Tributaria).
Pending Regulation: The regulatory landscape is in transition with Bill 6538 under consideration; if passed, it would shift the status to 'Allowed-Regulated'.

The regulatory environment is dynamic due to the introduction of Bill 6538 in mid-2025. While currently 'Allowed-UnRegulated', the passage of this bill would rapidly shift the status to 'Allowed-Regulated'. Traders should monitor legislative updates closely.