Further regulation, and potential restriction on fundraising activities
TV channels and government-affiliated newspapers reported that authorities are preparing a legal act to regulate fundraising and money collection, especially for charities.
These regulations are linked to a high-profile criminal case from February 2026. The case involves a lawsuit against a charity foundation director, accused of embezzlement . The investigation in this case is still ongoing.
It was later reported that financial investigation authorities had been conducting checkups on other charitable CSOs. In at least two other cases, criminal proceedings were initiated based on the results of these inspections; in one case, the organisation was immediately terminated by authorities and faced unfair criticism in the state media, accompanied by the public demonstration of private video recordings depicting the personal lives of its founders and employees.
According to state media:
“The work of charitable organizations in Belarus needs to be streamlined. A relevant regulatory act is currently being drafted, which will establish a transparent and clear mechanism for providing aid. How did social media stars capitalize on others’ misfortune? How can we ensure that vital resources always reach those who need them?"
State media also reports that following high-profile cases, the charitable sector will be regulated. For example, a new regulatory act is already being prepared to make charity transparent. According to the media update, the goal will be to ensure all collected donations reach those who truly need them, and the document will outline mechanisms: how to collect funds, how to report on them, and how to monitor the flow of money so that it reaches its intended recipients rather than ending up in influencers’ bank accounts. The use of charity boxes will also be regulated.
Civil society knows very little about the situation so far and information on the regulations in the future legal act is yet undisclosed beyond these reports. The form of this legal act is also unclear. It is unlikely to be a presidential edict, or special law on charitable fundraising, because such law is not included in the official 2026 legislative plan. Most likely, it will be published as a subordinate regulation, or a by-law regulative resolution of the government or a ministry (Ministry Finance, Internal Affairs, or Economy).
Nevertheless, the future act is unlikely to change the legal nature of donations. These issues are already regulated by the Civil Code, Tax Code, as well as existing special laws (this year decree on foreign aid will soon be replaced by a new law “On Foreign Gratuitous Aid”).
Crowdfunding to become particularly vulnerable under the proposed regulation
Regulation in the domestic fundraising area is already quite strict. However, new additional technical rules may be introduced and may cover processing of funds, control, and accounting, further restricting the crowdfunding space. They would aim to prevent misuse of collected money, as announced, but also may introduce new tools for state control and blundersome procedures for reporting.
Such rules probably would apply to both online and cash donations, as we see in the announcement in state media. These developments would affect many civil society organisations, and groups raising funds from domestic sources.
There are also concerns regarding bloggers and social media influencers. While many of them raised money for charitable causes last year, in some cases a part of these funds was allocated for personal use and self-promotion. This is considered misuse and falls within the scope of criminal investigations. These issues may also be addressed in the new act, with regulations targeting such practices.
Belarus experienced a crowdfunding boom between 2018–2020. According to ICNL, this increase resulted from a combination of several factors: (1) changes in the financial model of Belarusian NPOs in connection with shifts in the strategies of foreign donors; (2) the absence of special legal restrictions on the use of electronic fundraising; and (3) the increasingly widespread use of web technology and state-of-the-art means of communication in Belarus. After that, major platforms were shut down.
During the crisis of 2020–2022, several major domestic crowdfunding platforms were forced to close down, and their founders and executives faced criminal charges – platforms like MolaMola, Ulej, and Talaka were affected by these measures.
Despite these obstructions, there are now signs of crowdfunding returning. Although on a very small scale and with great caution, online fundraising mechanisms are making a comeback. New electronic platforms are emerging: some tools are created by banks, while the Malimon ecosystem presents itself as a tool for social startup funding which uses a crowdfunding investment model for social projects. The growth of this sector is being motivated by increasing barriers to foreign funding for CSOs in Belarus, caused both by repressions against recipients of foreign aid, and by sanctions on the activities of EU donors in Belarus. Domestic funding in Belarus is less burdensome for CSOs, and favorable legal reforms are even being enacted to support them.
The new act is unlikely to target non-profit organisations directly. However, it will probably affect fundraising in general and may introduce restrictions in this area. Future laws might affect private accounts of bloggers and social media influencers, but also CSOs and informal grass-roots.