Kenya CMA to procure blockchain analytics tool for crypto

Kenya's Capital Markets Authority is seeking to acquire an advanced blockchain analytics platform to monitor cryptocurrency transactions across more than 20 major networks, a move that will significantly expand the country's regulatory oversight as it implements a new licensing regime for digital assets. The proposed system is intended to track transactions in real time and retrospectively, flagging high-risk wallets, large transfers, coin mixers, darknet-linked addresses, and entities on international sanctions lists.

The regulator's tender calls for a platform capable of mapping wallet relationships, tracing funds across multiple blockchains, and generating automated risk scores linked to money laundering, fraud, ransomware, and terrorism financing. The CMA also plans to use the tool to identify the cryptocurrency exchanges most frequently used by Kenyan residents and to detect offshore platforms serving local users without regulatory approval.

This procurement effort follows the enactment of Kenya's first comprehensive legal framework for digital assets, the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act, which President William Ruto signed into law in October 2025. The legislation,...