The short answer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou can’t pay employees’ salaries or bonuses in cryptocurrency in Belarus, even if your company is an HTP resident. Tokens are not a legal means of payment in the country, and wages have to be paid in money, in Belarusian rubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you can do is set salaries as a US dollar equivalent, pay them in rubles, and let employees convert their own money into crypto through licensed Belarusian platforms. That’s legal, and for individuals it’s tax-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why HTP status doesn’t change the rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe Hi-Tech Park gives its residents a lot of freedom with tokens. Under the HTP regime, resident companies can hold tokens, trade them through licensed operators, create their own tokens and carry out the token activities approved in their business plan. Crypto exchanges, crypto platforms and now crypto banks all operate as HTP residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That freedom covers what your company does with tokens. It doesn’t cover how you pay your people. Employment relationships are governed by the Labor Code, and HTP status doesn’t override it. And the starting point is simple: cryptocurrency in Belarus is not an official means of payment<\/a>. The Belarusian ruble is the only legal means of payment, with limited exceptions for foreign currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo an HTP resident can hold bitcoin on its balance sheet, but it can’t use that bitcoin to pay a developer’s salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rules that matter, in plain English<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou don’t need to read every decree. These are the ones worth knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Decree No. 8 (2017).<\/strong> This is the foundation. It legalized token operations in Belarus and made HTP residents the main legal channel for them. It’s also where many of the HTP’s English-law tools come from, such as option agreements and convertible loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDecree No. 367 (September 2024).<\/strong> It tightened the rules for individuals. People in Belarus can buy and sell crypto for money only through Belarusian exchanges and exchangers<\/a> that are HTP residents. Peer-to-peer trading for fiat and cashing out from foreign exchanges to Belarusian bank accounts are off the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDecree No. 19 (January 2026).<\/strong> It created crypto banks: HTP-resident joint-stock companies that combine regular banking with token operations. In late September 2026, the HTP Supervisory Board registered the first two crypto banks. They still need to be accredited and added to the National Bank’s register before they can work fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Labor Code.<\/strong> Article 74 sets out how wages are paid: in money, with the option to replace part of it with payment in kind, but only with the employee’s consent. Crypto doesn’t fit into either category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/recruitment.by\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/close-up-woman-using-digital-tablet-while-buying-internet-with-credit-card-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s not allowed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHere are the setups we see most often, and why each one is a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salary in USDT, BTC or any other token<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis is the most common request and the clearest no. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the full salary or just part of it, or whether the employee asked for it. A token payment isn’t a lawful form of wages in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bonuses in crypto<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSome companies assume bonuses are more flexible than base pay. In Belarus they aren’t. Bonuses, incentive payments and 13th-month pay are part of wages, so they follow the same rules. A year-end bonus in ETH is still a crypto wage payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Official ruble salary plus a USDT top-up”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis is the version people think is safe because the main salary is clean. It isn’t. An unofficial token payment on top of the payroll is still a token payment, and it also creates undeclared income for the employee. If it comes to light, both the company and the employee have a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Converting crypto for employees<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSometimes a manager or the company itself offers to “help” by selling crypto to employees for cash, or buying their salary back in tokens. Facilitating other people’s token transactions is prohibited, and outside the licensed channels it can be treated as illegal business activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What the penalties look like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIllegal token operations are covered by Article 13.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Fines can reach 20\u201350 base units for individuals, 20\u2013200 for sole proprietors and up to 500 for companies, with confiscation of up to 100% of the illegal income. On top of that, since April 2025 income from illegal or prohibited token operations has been taxed under a special regime set by Decree No. 166<\/a>, which applies a profitability index to it. In serious cases, such as money laundering or large-scale illegal business, criminal liability applies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor an HTP resident there’s a further risk. The Supervisory Board can review a resident’s status, and a compliance breach involving tokens is the kind of thing that draws attention. If you’re unsure whether your current setup fits your business project, it’s worth checking how your HTP residency is structured before something goes wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s allowed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis is where most companies find a workable answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A US dollar salary paid in rubles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYou can agree on salaries as the equivalent of a fixed amount in US dollars, then pay that equivalent in Belarusian rubles at the exchange rate on the payment date. This is standard practice across the HTP. Your developers get the stability of a dollar salary, and your payroll stays fully compliant. Not sure what dollar figure to set? Our IT salary research for Belarus<\/a> has current numbers by role and level.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmployees buying crypto with their own salary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce the salary lands in an employee’s account, it’s their money. They can buy USDT, bitcoin or anything else through an HTP-resident exchange such as Dzengi.com, BYNEX or Free2ex. For individuals, income from operations through HTP-resident platforms isn’t subject to income tax. Income from foreign platforms is taxed at 13%, and 26% applies if the source can’t be documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can’t run this process for them, but you can explain it. Many HTP companies put a short guide in their onboarding pack on how to convert salary legally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crypto banks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCrypto banks will make life easier for people who want their money in crypto. Clients will be able to hold fiat and tokens in one place, convert between them and use cards linked to both balances. Under Decree No. 19, client funds in crypto banks aren’t covered by the deposit guarantee system, so employees should know the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What crypto banks don’t do is make crypto salaries legal. They give employees a smoother way to convert money they’ve already been paid in rubles. For a closer look at how crypto banks are meant to work, see The Block’s explainer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nContractors working for foreign clients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDecree No. 19 opens one narrow door. Certain self-employed people (those paying professional income tax), artisans and agro-ecotourism providers may receive tokens as payment, but only under civil contracts with non-residents, and through crypto banks once those are fully running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is about freelancers paid by clients abroad. It isn’t a way for a Belarusian employer to pay its staff. And moving employees onto contractor agreements to get around the rules creates a new problem: misclassification. If someone works fixed hours, reports to a manager and is part of your team, they’re an employee in the eyes of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Equity and token incentive plans<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nLong-term incentives are possible, but they need careful design. HTP residents can use option agreements and other instruments that Decree No. 8 brought into Belarusian practice. Some groups run token or equity plans through a foreign parent company. Each of these has its own tax and currency rules, so get individual legal advice before promising anything to employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allowed vs. not allowed at a glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hi-Tech Park gives its residents a lot of freedom with tokens. Under the HTP regime, resident companies can hold tokens, trade them through licensed operators, create their own tokens and carry out the token activities approved in their business plan. Crypto exchanges, crypto platforms and now crypto banks all operate as HTP residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That freedom covers what your company does with tokens. It doesn’t cover how you pay your people. Employment relationships are governed by the Labor Code, and HTP status doesn’t override it. And the starting point is simple: cryptocurrency in Belarus is not an official means of payment<\/a>. The Belarusian ruble is the only legal means of payment, with limited exceptions for foreign currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So an HTP resident can hold bitcoin on its balance sheet, but it can’t use that bitcoin to pay a developer’s salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don’t need to read every decree. These are the ones worth knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decree No. 8 (2017).<\/strong> This is the foundation. It legalized token operations in Belarus and made HTP residents the main legal channel for them. It’s also where many of the HTP’s English-law tools come from, such as option agreements and convertible loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decree No. 367 (September 2024).<\/strong> It tightened the rules for individuals. People in Belarus can buy and sell crypto for money only through Belarusian exchanges and exchangers<\/a> that are HTP residents. Peer-to-peer trading for fiat and cashing out from foreign exchanges to Belarusian bank accounts are off the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decree No. 19 (January 2026).<\/strong> It created crypto banks: HTP-resident joint-stock companies that combine regular banking with token operations. In late September 2026, the HTP Supervisory Board registered the first two crypto banks. They still need to be accredited and added to the National Bank’s register before they can work fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Labor Code.<\/strong> Article 74 sets out how wages are paid: in money, with the option to replace part of it with payment in kind, but only with the employee’s consent. Crypto doesn’t fit into either category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the setups we see most often, and why each one is a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the most common request and the clearest no. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the full salary or just part of it, or whether the employee asked for it. A token payment isn’t a lawful form of wages in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some companies assume bonuses are more flexible than base pay. In Belarus they aren’t. Bonuses, incentive payments and 13th-month pay are part of wages, so they follow the same rules. A year-end bonus in ETH is still a crypto wage payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the version people think is safe because the main salary is clean. It isn’t. An unofficial token payment on top of the payroll is still a token payment, and it also creates undeclared income for the employee. If it comes to light, both the company and the employee have a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes a manager or the company itself offers to “help” by selling crypto to employees for cash, or buying their salary back in tokens. Facilitating other people’s token transactions is prohibited, and outside the licensed channels it can be treated as illegal business activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Illegal token operations are covered by Article 13.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Fines can reach 20\u201350 base units for individuals, 20\u2013200 for sole proprietors and up to 500 for companies, with confiscation of up to 100% of the illegal income. On top of that, since April 2025 income from illegal or prohibited token operations has been taxed under a special regime set by Decree No. 166<\/a>, which applies a profitability index to it. In serious cases, such as money laundering or large-scale illegal business, criminal liability applies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For an HTP resident there’s a further risk. The Supervisory Board can review a resident’s status, and a compliance breach involving tokens is the kind of thing that draws attention. If you’re unsure whether your current setup fits your business project, it’s worth checking how your HTP residency is structured before something goes wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where most companies find a workable answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can agree on salaries as the equivalent of a fixed amount in US dollars, then pay that equivalent in Belarusian rubles at the exchange rate on the payment date. This is standard practice across the HTP. Your developers get the stability of a dollar salary, and your payroll stays fully compliant. Not sure what dollar figure to set? Our IT salary research for Belarus<\/a> has current numbers by role and level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the salary lands in an employee’s account, it’s their money. They can buy USDT, bitcoin or anything else through an HTP-resident exchange such as Dzengi.com, BYNEX or Free2ex. For individuals, income from operations through HTP-resident platforms isn’t subject to income tax. Income from foreign platforms is taxed at 13%, and 26% applies if the source can’t be documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can’t run this process for them, but you can explain it. Many HTP companies put a short guide in their onboarding pack on how to convert salary legally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crypto banks will make life easier for people who want their money in crypto. Clients will be able to hold fiat and tokens in one place, convert between them and use cards linked to both balances. Under Decree No. 19, client funds in crypto banks aren’t covered by the deposit guarantee system, so employees should know the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What crypto banks don’t do is make crypto salaries legal. They give employees a smoother way to convert money they’ve already been paid in rubles. For a closer look at how crypto banks are meant to work, see The Block’s explainer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decree No. 19 opens one narrow door. Certain self-employed people (those paying professional income tax), artisans and agro-ecotourism providers may receive tokens as payment, but only under civil contracts with non-residents, and through crypto banks once those are fully running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is about freelancers paid by clients abroad. It isn’t a way for a Belarusian employer to pay its staff. And moving employees onto contractor agreements to get around the rules creates a new problem: misclassification. If someone works fixed hours, reports to a manager and is part of your team, they’re an employee in the eyes of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long-term incentives are possible, but they need careful design. HTP residents can use option agreements and other instruments that Decree No. 8 brought into Belarusian practice. Some groups run token or equity plans through a foreign parent company. Each of these has its own tax and currency rules, so get individual legal advice before promising anything to employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe rules that matter, in plain English<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat’s not allowed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Salary in USDT, BTC or any other token<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bonuses in crypto<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“Official ruble salary plus a USDT top-up”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Converting crypto for employees<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What the penalties look like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What’s allowed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A US dollar salary paid in rubles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Employees buying crypto with their own salary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Crypto banks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Contractors working for foreign clients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Equity and token incentive plans<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Allowed vs. not allowed at a glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n