Central African Republic’s Crypto Experiment ‘Riddled With Red Flags,’ Says Report
The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime warns that the Central African Republic’s recent cryptocurrency ventures, led by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, are poorly designed, opaque, and primarily benefit foreign investors rather than the local population. Key initiatives include legalizing Bitcoin, launching Sango Coin, and introducing the CAR meme coin. Sango Coin, promoted with promises of citizenship, land, and investment opportunities, was largely marketed to foreigners but failed commercially, selling only about 10% of planned tokens and raising under €2 million, with no transparent accounting. Incentives tied to citizenship and land were struck down by the Constitutional Court, and the project faced opposition from major financial institutions. Despite these setbacks, new laws have enabled the tokenization of natural resources without sufficient safeguards, raising risks of corruption and abuse. The CAR meme coin, concentrated in the hands of insiders, saw speculative price swings and offered tokenized land, with minimal revenue generated or public benefit. The report concludes that these initiatives lack governance, transparency, and accountability, deepening concerns over national sovereignty, financial crime, and the influence of foreign and potentially criminal networks.

