Indonesia’s 2021 Crypto Ruling Remains in Place After Minister’s Remarks

Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said religious views on crypto can change as circumstances do, but his remarks did not alter the country’s 2021 guidance for digital assets.

Umar spoke at a seminar in Jakarta on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. He said judgments may change when the conditions behind them change and that Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), Indonesia’s Islamic religious council, decides whether something is halal or haram. His comments announced no revised ruling or approval of a sharia-compliant crypto product.

MUI’s 2021 determination distinguishes using cryptocurrency as money from trading it as a digital asset. It declares using crypto as currency haram, or forbidden, citing gharar (uncertainty) and dharar (harm). It also bars trades involving uncertainty, harm or qimar (gambling), as well as trades in assets that do not qualify as sil’ah, a tradable good.

The ruling permits trading a crypto asset when it qualifies as sil’ah, has an underlying basis and provides clear benefit. Those conditions limit the allowance to assets meeting all three criteria; the ruling does not give blanket religious approval to crypto trading.

The religious determination is separate from government oversight. On Jan. 10, 2025, the Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (Bappebti) transferred crypto-asset oversight to the Financial Services Authority (OJK). OJK’s role concerns state regulation and supervision, while MUI’s ruling addresses religious permissibility.

By August 2026, Indonesia’s crypto-asset consumer account total had reached 23 million. That figure describes consumer accounts and does not change the terms of MUI’s ruling. The guidance remains the country’s current religious reference for crypto, while any change to it would require a new determination from MUI.