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Bank of Spain Approves Its First VASP License
18.2.2022
The Bank of Spain, the central bank of the country, has recognized the first cryptocurrency platform that will be able to operate and provide officially approved services in the country. The first exchange to receive this approval was Bit2me, which is now approved to act as a virtual asset service...
UAE reportedly plans to issue federal crypto license for VASPs
17.2.2022
The crypto license legislation might be the first nationwide crypto-focused regulation. However, various free zones in the country had introduced crypto regulations as early as 2018
Sunacrip Revokes Licenses Of Two Cryptocurrency Exchanges In Venezuela
27.1.2022
Sunacrip, the Venezuelan cryptocurrency watchdog, has suspended the operating licenses of two exchanges for lack of compliance with current regulations. The announcement was made by Joselit Ramirez, superintendent of Sunacrip, who also mentioned the exchanges that are approved by the institution...
Business Advisory Firm Expects Criminal Cryptocurrency Transactions to Fall by 30% by 2024
17.1.2022
Gartner, an advisory firm, has predicted that criminal cryptocurrency transactions or transfers will fall by 30% by 2024. The firm says factors such as the transparency of the blockchain, as well as the democratization of fraud prevention tools, will contribute to this decline in such transactions....
Cryptocurrency Draft Law Presented in Peru
5.1.2022
A draft of a new cryptocurrency asset law was introduced in Peru in December, seeking to regulate the cryptocurrency interactions that are already happening in the country. The draft law, besides defining what a crypto asset is and establishing the duties of virtual asset service providers (VASPs)...
Donated or Inherited Virtual Assets to Be Taxed by South Korea’s NTS
31.12.2021
Starting in the year 2022, donated or inherited virtual assets will be assessed and taxed accordingly, South Korea’s National Tax Service has said. Dunamu, Bithumb Korea, Korbit, and Coinone are the new virtual asset service providers (VASPs) tasked with evaluating digital assets for such...
Argentinian Chamber of Fintech Makes Cryptocurrency Regulation Proposal
18.12.2021
The Argentinian Chamber of Fintech, a membership-based organization whose goal is to lead the digitization and modernization of the financial services industry, issued a series of recommendations for the upcoming regulation of virtual assets in the country. The proposed framework asks...
Chainalysis to Offer Lightning Network Monitoring Service to VASPs in 2022
11.12.2021
On December 10, the blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis revealed that the company has added support for Bitcoin’s second-layer protocol the Lightning Network (LN). According to Chainalysis, firms like exchanges and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) can leverage...
Bank of Spain Opens Mandatory Registry for VASPs
26.10.2021
The Bank Of Spain has finally opened the mandatory registry for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in the country. The bank also dispelled doubts that financial institutions had regarding whether they had to apply for the registry given they already comply with AML legislation....
Ukraine passes legislation to recognize and regulate crypto
9.9.2021
Ukraine is hoping its new digital asset regulations will attract foreign crypto exchanges to set up shop in the Eastern European nation
New Draft Law in Uruguay Could Legalize Crypto as Payment Method
6.8.2021
A new draft law introduced to the Senate in Uruguay could regulate cryptocurrency transactions, and also legalize cryptocurrency as an accepted payment method in the country. If approved, the draft proposed by Senator Juan Sartori would also introduce licenses for Virtual Asset Service Providers...
Zimbabwe Proposes Inclusion of VASPs in Its Securities Law — Move Applauded as ‘Step in Right Direction’
20.7.2021
The Zimbabwean government recently revealed its intention to widen the definition of securities to include virtual asset service providers (VASPs). According to a document released by the cabinet, the proposed inclusion of VASPs into the category of defined securities will be made possible via...
Binance Deploys Crypto Monitoring ‘Traveler’ System to Comply With FATF Travel Rule
3.7.2021
Binance announced yesterday it deployed Ciphertrace’s Traveler system as part of its compliance efforts. Traveler is the first system designed for exchanges to comply with the Travel Rule proposed by the Financial Action Task Force. The exchange would be among the first wave of exchanges...
Crypto Travel Rule Working Group Launches 2.0 Protocol ‘Solving the Discoverability Problem’
26.6.2021
Just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published the organization’s 12-month review, a working group called the Travel Rule Protocol (TRP) released its 2.0 version of the TRP crypto application programming interface (API) in order to “simplify the end-user crypto exchange...
FATF’s Annual Crypto Review Highlights ‘Continued Use of Anonymity Tactics’ and ‘Lack of Effective’ Regulation
26.6.2021
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published the organization’s 12-month review and the research highlights that only 45% of the 128 reporting jurisdictions have complied with AML/CFT policy and FATF recommendations. The annual review stresses that the “lack [of]...
Portugal Begins Approving Cryptocurrency Exchanges — Two Licensed So Far
22.6.2021
Portugal now has two approved cryptocurrency exchanges. The country’s central bank, the Banco de Portugal, has licensed Mind the Coin and Criptoloja. In Portugal, the central bank is responsible for registering entities that intend to act as virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The bank...
South Korea’s Financial Regulator Holds Closed-Door Meeting With 20 Crypto Exchanges
5.6.2021
Regional reports disclose South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) had a closed-door meeting with roughly 20 different cryptocurrency exchanges on June 3. The report highlights that virtual asset business operators (VASPs) that attended the meeting all had ISMS (Information Security...
Spain Based Custodial Services to Report Ownership of Crypto Assets, According to New Law Draft
27.5.2021
A new law draft approved just today by the Finance Commission of the Spanish Congress would make Spain-based custody services report the ownership of the cryptocurrencies under management. The law, which was stuck in Congress for some time, aims to close a gap in the legislation that allowed some...
Venezuelan Crypto Regulator Sunacrip Strengthens AML/KYC Requirements for Virtual Asset Service Providers
3.5.2021
Sunacrip, the Venezuelan cryptocurrency watchdog, has recently published a new set of AML/KYC requirements for VASPs (Virtual Asset Service Providers) that establishes new and updated rules about the kind of information these providers must require and share with the Venezuelan government, raising...
New FATF Guidance Applies Regulatory Standards to Decentralized Exchanges, Defi and NFTs
24.3.2021
On March 19, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published draft guidance on the risk-based approach to virtual assets. The newly updated guidance now applies anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules to stablecoins, decentralized finance (defi), and non-fungible token (NFT) assets....