Cryptocurrencies and Tokenization: Colombia Prepares New Rules for These Markets

• The initiative aims to reduce costs and streamline processes that currently depend on multiple entities.
• The proposal includes new rules for operating, supervising, and settling digital assets.

Colombia is advancing in the construction of a bill to regulate digital assets and establish the conditions under which they can be integrated into the financial system. The initiative will include provisions for the tokenization of securities and seeks to adapt traditional market regulations to this technology.

Mariana Aya Guerrero, the acting director of the Financial Regulation Unit (URF), revealed during a panel at Blockchain Summit Latam 2026 that the proposal is already under construction alongside the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of the Republic, and other state authorities.

The official explained that the growth of the market and the use of these instruments by citizens make it necessary to establish clear rules. She also highlighted that digital assets can offer benefits such as lower costs, greater liquidity, and access to international markets.

<>, said Aya Guerrero, who clarified that the project will address digital assets as a whole, while the tokenization of securities will have a specific section.

Colombia Wants to Enable 24/7 Trading of Tokenized Securities

One of the objectives of the proposal is to adapt the financial market to allow the trading of securities through distributed ledger technologies (DLT). This would not imply changing the legal nature of these instruments or the requirements established in Law 964 of 2005.

The adjustments would focus on the operational rules of negotiations, from property registration and order acceptance to compensation and settlement of operations.

Currently, the traditional market distributes these functions among different entities and infrastructures. With tokenization, several of them could be integrated into a single platform and automated through smart contracts.

One of the most relevant changes would be in settlement. While traditional systems depend on operating hours, an infrastructure based on distributed ledgers could allow operations 24/7, with programmable money and faster settlements, as explained by Grayscale. Mariana Aya Guerrero, Acting Director of the URF in Colombia. Source: CriptoNoticias

The URF believes that this model could improve efficiency and reduce costs, but acknowledges that it requires modifying legal provisions that cannot be updated solely through decrees.

The bill would also establish which activities related to digital assets will require authorization, what the conditions for operation will be, and which entities will have supervisory responsibilities. Aya Guerrero noted that the Financial Superintendency would have a monitoring role and that the proposal will include a sanctioning regime.

The initiative also includes powers for the national government to develop specific aspects of the regulation through decrees, as well as mechanisms for institutional coordination and measures to promote competition.

The acting director of the URF assured that the work is already underway, although its eventual approval will depend on the legislative process. <<As a public entity, we are committed to making this project happen>>, she stated.