American Samoa has no local crypto law. US federal financial law applies in the territory: the Bank Secrecy Act regulations define the United States to include the territories and insular possessions, so persons transmitting virtual currency there are money services businesses that must register with FinCEN, and federal securities and commodities law applies to crypto assets that fall within it.
| Status | Legal |
| Risk Score | 25/100 (Low Risk) |
| Region | asia pacific |
| Currency | USD |
| Capital Gains (Personal) | No crypto-specific rules; individuals' gains are taxed under American Samoa's own income tax, which is modelled on the US Internal Revenue Code as in effect on 31 December 2000 and administered by the ASG Tax Office |
| Capital Gains (Corporate) | No crypto-specific rules; American Samoa territorial income tax administered by the ASG Tax Office applies |
| VAT on Crypto | No |
| Staking Tax | No specific guidance |
| Airdrop Tax | No specific guidance |
American Samoa has its own separate and independent income tax system modelled on the US Internal Revenue Code as in effect on 31 December 2000, with certain differences from current US law. No crypto-specific tax guidance has been published.
| Required | Yes |
| Regulator | US Federal Regulators (SEC, CFTC, FinCEN) |
| Framework | No crypto framework |
No territorial crypto licensing regime. Federal rules apply: virtual currency exchangers and administrators register with FinCEN as money services businesses under the Bank Secrecy Act regulations, whose definition of the United States covers the territories.
Enforcement focused on unlicensed operators and consumer protection
| KYC Required | Yes |
| Travel Rule | Yes |
| FATF Member | Yes |
| FATF Status | compliant |
| FATF Body | FATF |
| Suspicious-Activity Reporting | Yes |
Status: Unclear
No specific DeFi regulation
Status: federal_framework
The US GENIUS Act (signed July 18, 2025) applies to American Samoa. The Act explicitly classifies stablecoin issuers domiciled in US territories including American Samoa as 'foreign payment stablecoin issuers' unless they qualify as 'permitted payment stablecoin issuers.' Stablecoins must be 1:1 backed by cash/short-term Treasuries and issuers must comply with AML/BSA requirements. No local AS-specific stablecoin rules exist beyond the federal GENIUS Act framework.
Status: no_rules
No specific NFT regulation
| Legal | Yes |
| Electricity Cost | $0.2/kWh |
| Renewable Energy | 15% |
| Infrastructure | fair |
Mining is legal but electricity costs are relatively high; infrastructure is fair given island location.
| Stability | stable |
| Sanctions | No |
| Corruption Index | 45/100 |
| Banking Access | moderate |
| Sanctions Program Active | No |
Risk Factors
As a U.S. territory, American Samoa benefits from political stability and regulatory alignment with the U.S., but faces challenges due to geographic isolation and limited infrastructure impacting crypto business operations.
American Samoa has no local crypto law. US federal financial law applies in the territory: the Bank Secrecy Act regulations define the United States to include the territories and insular possessions, so persons transmitting virtual currency there are money services businesses that must register with FinCEN, and federal securities and commodities law applies to crypto assets that fall within it.
American Samoa is classified by FATF as: compliant.
Yes, licensing is required for VASPs.
KYC is mandatory for crypto businesses.
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Explore IT Services →Last reviewed: 2026-09-08 · Data source: Soken Crypto Legal Map
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