It's the second country to do so after El Salvador.

Members of parliament unanimously approved the move and President Faustin Archange Touadera signed a bill into law that makes bitcoin legal tender alongside the CFA franc.

An official in the presidency said the move placed the CAR on the map of the world's boldest and most visionary countries.

The landlocked state, which is one of the world's poorest, has suffered from a devastating armed conflict in recent years.