Bolivia has a bank-centred financial system under one supervisor, the Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (ASFI). The Ley de Servicios Financieros of 2013 fixes a closed list of entity types, each with a minimum capital set in law. The Banco Central de Bolivia sets payment system rules and allowed residents to buy virtual assets through regulated payment channels in June 2024. A fintech regime for Empresas de Tecnología Financiera started in 2025.
Risk flagHigh risk
FATFIncreased monitoring (grey list)
EU AML high-risk listListed
EU tax listNot listed
Licence regimes8
CurrencyBOB
S&P ratingCCC+
Next election2030
Bolivia was placed under FATF increased monitoring on 13 June 2025. It is still listed in the FATF statement of 19 June 2026 (no October 2026 plenary outcome yet). It was added to the EU high-risk third country list by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/83 of 4 December 2025, in force 29 January 2026. It is in neither Annex I nor Annex II of the EU tax list revised by Council conclusions of 9 October 2026. Checked 13 October 2026.
Government and politics
Government
Presidential republic (Plurinational State)
President
Rodrigo Paz Pereira · since November 2025
President
Rodrigo Paz Pereira (Christian Democratic Party (PDC))
Governing parties
Christian Democratic Party (PDC)
Last election
General (presidential and legislative), runoff for president, 19 October 2025
Next election
General (presidential and legislative), 2030. The presidential term runs to 8 November 2030. First round was 17 August 2025. Subnational elections for governors and mayors were held on 22 March 2026.
Legislature
Plurinational Legislative Assembly: bicameral, Chamber of Deputies (130 seats) and Chamber of Senators (36 seats)
Legal system
Civil law
Economy and finance
Population
12.6m (2025)
GDP
USD 65.2bn (2025)
GDP per person
USD 5,185 (2025)
Currency
Boliviano (BOB), managed float: since late June 2026 the Banco Central de Bolivia sets a daily official rate from bank market transactions, ending the long peg of 6.96 per US dollar
Central bank
Banco Central de Bolivia
Credit rating
S&P CCC+ (stable) · Moody's Caa2 (positive) · Fitch CCC (as of October 2026)
A commodity economy built on silver, zinc, gold, natural gas and soy. Banks are supervised by the Financial System Supervisory Authority (ASFI), and the Banco Central de Bolivia runs monetary and exchange rate policy.
Bank
Licencia de funcionamiento de Banco Múltiple (multiple bank licence)
Minimum capitalPaid-in capital in bolivianos equal to UFV 30,000,000 (art. 217). The UFV is an inflation-indexed unit, so the boliviano amount changes daily. The executive may raise the minimum by supreme decree but may not lower it (art. 155).
TimelineNot published
AuthorityAutoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero
Paid-in capital in bolivianos equal to UFV 30,000,000 (art. 217). The UFV is an inflation-indexed unit, so the boliviano amount changes daily. The executive may raise the minimum by supreme decree but may not lower it (art. 155).
Law
Ley N° 393 de Servicios Financieros of 21 August 2013, arts. 150 to 158, 215 to 217 and 230 to 232
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Sociedad anónima with registered ordinary shares (art. 230)
The name must start with the word 'banco' (art. 230)
At least five founders, none of them disqualified under art. 153 (art. 215)
Founders must show solvency, good standing and the lawful origin of their funds (art. 152)
Two stages: permiso de constitución, then licencia de funcionamiento, both from ASFI (art. 216)
Capital contributions in cash only (art. 156)
Founders need ASFI approval to sell shares in the first three years (art. 158)
Empresa de servicios de pago móvil (mobile payment services company)
Minimum capitalPaid-in capital in bolivianos equal to UFV 3,000,000 (art. 368). Capital may be paid in cash or in kind, but in-kind capital is limited to real estate and technology platforms used in the business. Additional capital must fund a trust that backs the electronic money in circulation (art. 373).
TimelineNot published
AuthorityAutoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero
Paid-in capital in bolivianos equal to UFV 3,000,000 (art. 368). Capital may be paid in cash or in kind, but in-kind capital is limited to real estate and technology platforms used in the business. Additional capital must fund a trust that backs the electronic money in circulation (art. 373).
Law
Ley N° 393 de Servicios Financieros, arts. 151 and 368 to 375
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
May issue mobile wallets and operate payment accounts (art. 369)
May not carry out financial intermediation (art. 371)
May not outsource the service (art. 371)
Trust held at a financial intermediary to back electronic money, kept for the life of the company (art. 373)
Risk policies required where the mobile operator partner is in the same group (art. 374)
ASFI reported one licensed company of this type at the end of 2025
Empresa de Tecnología Financiera (ETF) providing virtual asset services (PSAV)
Minimum capitalNot published
TimelineNot published
AuthorityAutoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero
Law
Ley N° 393 de Servicios Financieros, art. 19(IV) (added by Ley N° 1543); Decreto Supremo N° 5384 of 7 May 2025, arts. 4 and 5; Reglamento para Empresas de Tecnología Financiera (Resolución ASFI/540/2025 of 3 July 2025, amended by Resolución ASFI/1203/2025 of 28 November 2025)
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
An ETF must be set up as a financial entity (DS 5384, art. 4)
It needs an ASFI permiso de constitución and licencia de funcionamiento (DS 5384, art. 4)
Permitted categories include blockchain, tokenised assets, virtual assets and PSAV services (DS 5384, art. 5)
ASFI may require an ETF to enter its regulatory sandbox, the Entorno Controlado de Pruebas (DS 5384, art. 5)
Firms already active had until 30 April 2026 to file a letter of intent to start adaptation (Resolución ASFI/1203/2025)
ASFI had issued ten adaptation certificates to ETFs by April 2026
Autorización e inscripción como Agencia de Bolsa (securities broker-dealer)
Minimum capitalNot published
TimelineNot published
AuthorityAutoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero
Law
Ley N° 1834 del Mercado de Valores of 31 March 1998, arts. 17 to 19; Recopilación de Normas para el Mercado de Valores, Libro 4, Título III (Reglamento para Agencias de Bolsa)
Passporting
No passporting regime.
Key requirements
Sociedad anónima with the sole purpose of securities intermediation (art. 17)
The name must include 'Agencia de Bolsa' (art. 17)
Paid-in capital at or above the minimum set by regulation for its type of operations (art. 18)
Must be a shareholder of at least one Bolivian stock exchange (art. 18)
Adequate offices and facilities (art. 18)
Registration in the Registro del Mercado de Valores before starting business (art. 18)
Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (ASFI) · websitebanks, E-money institutions, Payment service providers, Virtual asset service providers (VASPs), Investment firms, FX brokers
Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) · websitePayment service providers
Capital units: Bolivian law sets minimum capital in Unidades de Fomento a la Vivienda (UFV). The UFV is an inflation-indexed unit of account published by the Banco Central de Bolivia. It is not a currency and has no ISO code. Each licence therefore states the UFV figure in the text, and no boliviano amount is stored. The capital figures come from the 2013 text of Ley N° 393 as published by the Banco Central de Bolivia; no later change to these articles was found, but a consolidated text from ASFI could not be opened in this check. Minimum capital for an agencia de bolsa is set in ASFI rules, which could not be opened on an ASFI server, so it is null. No statutory decision period for bank or other licences was found in Ley 393, so timelines are null. ASFI application fees were not confirmed, so fee fields are null. Virtual assets: Resolución de Directorio N° 082/2024 of the Banco Central de Bolivia, of 25 June 2024, repealed the 2020 ban and allowed electronic payment channels to be used to buy and sell virtual assets. The BCB states that virtual assets are not legal tender. Decreto Supremo N° 5384 defines a PSAV. Its fintech regime also covers payment services and financing platforms. ASFI also licenses money transfer and remittance companies (empresas de giro y remesas de dinero), leasing, factoring and other complementary service companies; these were not covered. Insurance is supervised by a separate authority and was not covered. Online gaming was not covered.
General information
About Bolivia
Natural Earth boundaries. Map is indicative.
Status
Sovereign state
Capital
Sucre (constitutional capital); La Paz is the seat of government
Largest city
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Area
1,098,581 km²
Official languages
Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani
Time zone
UTC-04:00
Main exports
Silver ores and concentrates
Zinc ores and concentrates
Gold
Natural gas
Tin
Soybean meal and oil
Main export partners
China
Brazil
India
Japan
Peru
Sources for the country information(16)
Country information checked 13 October 2026. Licensing data updated 13 October 2026. Information only, not legal advice; requirements change. Regulatory notice.
