Iran Cryptocurrency: How Iranians Use Crypto Despite Restrictions

When it comes to Iran cryptocurrency, the use of digital currencies by Iranian citizens to bypass financial sanctions and access global markets. Also known as crypto in Iran, it’s not a trend—it’s a survival tool for millions facing frozen bank accounts and soaring inflation. While the Iranian government officially bans banks from dealing with crypto, people still buy, trade, and use Bitcoin, USDT, and other coins every day. They don’t do it for speculation. They do it because their salaries lose value by the hour, and the only way to send money to family abroad or buy medicine from overseas is through crypto.

What makes Iran’s crypto use unique is how deeply it’s woven into daily life. Students use stablecoins to pay for online courses. Small businesses accept USDT for imports when traditional payment systems shut them out. P2P platforms like LocalBitcoins and Paxful became lifelines after Western banks cut ties. Even state-run entities quietly use crypto to trade oil and goods outside the SWIFT system. The crypto adoption Iran, the grassroots movement of ordinary people using blockchain to circumvent economic isolation has made Iran one of the top three countries globally in peer-to-peer crypto trading volume, according to Chainalysis. And it’s not slowing down.

The government’s response? A confusing mix of bans, taxes, and crackdowns. They’ve arrested traders, shut down mining farms, and tried to push their own digital rial. But none of it worked. People still trade. Why? Because crypto gives them control. Unlike the national currency, which the central bank can devalue overnight, Bitcoin and USDT hold value across borders. This isn’t about tech hype—it’s about real, urgent needs. The cryptocurrency restrictions, government policies designed to limit access to global finance only pushed innovation underground, where it thrived.

What you’ll find below are real stories and hard facts about how Iranians navigate crypto in a hostile environment. From unregulated exchanges like BIJIEEX that locals use despite the risks, to how stablecoins became the de facto currency for cross-border payments, these articles show the raw, unfiltered reality of crypto in Iran. You’ll see how people protect their wallets, spot scams like fake airdrops, and choose between risky DEXs and trusted platforms. There’s no sugarcoating. Just what works—and what doesn’t—when your country’s economy is under siege.