May Zakat Itself Be Paid in Crypto?

Short answer: Yes, with conditions — zakat on money-type wealth may be paid from that wealth or its equivalent value. Conditions: (1) the recipient can actually receive, use or liquidate it, with his consent; (2) the full due value at the transfer-day market rate must reach him. If the recipient cannot handle crypto or risks loss by it, converting to cash is the safe discharge of the obligation. Details: Zakat aims at the poor's real benefit — the Prophet ﷺ told Muʿadh it is taken from the rich and returned to the poor, and livestock zakat paid in livestock shows payment from the wealth's own kind is the base rule. For currency, value is what counts, so any monetary form of equal value (taka, dollars, stablecoins) is valid. With volatile coins, use the transfer-moment rate and round up — any shortfall remains owed. Evidence: Quran 9:103; Sahih al-Bukhari 1395 (Muʿadh); Sahih al-Bukhari 1454 (in-kind payment and value adjustment in Abu Bakr's letter); the value principle per the Permanent Committee and Shaykh al-Uthaymin. For complex individual cases, consult a qualified scholar.