Paraguayan Cryptocurrency Law Shelved After Presidential Veto

The cryptocurrency and mining law that the Paraguayan Congress passed in June was finally shelved on Dec. 5. The document, which sought to bring order to crypto mining and exchange activities in Paraguay, was ultimately dropped after failing to obtain the votes needed to reject the presidential veto it received.

The Paraguayan cryptocurrency law that was introduced in Congress in 2021 was finally shelved after not receiving the support it needed in the Deputy Chamber. The project, which was vetoed in September by President Mario Abdo, failed to gather the votes needed in order to reject this veto.

The veto had previously been rejected by the Paraguayan senate, which aimed to approve and pass the law without presidential support. The veto had the support of the Commission for Industry, Commerce, Tourism, and Cooperatives; while the Economic and Financial Affairs, and the Fight against Drug Trafficking, Related and Serious Illicit Activities commissions rejected the motion.

Some deputies questioned the veto, stating that the cryptocurrency issue must be studied and regulated due to its importance. In this vein, deputy Sebastian Garcia criticized this outcome, stating that with this move, the cryptocurrency subject will remain in an “absolute informality.”

One of the biggest reasons wielded by President Mario Abdo and other deputies to exert a complete veto on this bill has to do with the determinations it makes about the power delivered to cryptocurrency miners. Abdo stated that cryptocurrency mining was an activity featuring “high consumption of electrical energy, but little use of labor.”

Also, the law established limits for the fees that crypto miners pay for the power delivered to their operations. This would clash with the method of determining power tariffs by the National Power Administration (ANDE), an organization that also supported the veto measure after having found several cryptocurrency farms that were connected illegally to the power network.

Deputy Arnaldo Samaniego argued that rejecting the veto motion would put ANDE in a tight spot, facing potential losses of up to $30 million. Deputy Jose Rodriguez also supported this position, explaining that the organization could not operate with losses derived from this law.

This development puts the cryptocurrency regulation efforts in Paraguay back at square one, with legislators having to once more propose and discuss a hypothetical new cryptocurrency law.

What do you think about the final destiny of the cryptocurrency and mining law in Paraguay? Tell us in the comments section below.