Crypto

Hong Kong’s government has set out amendments to its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, including a virtual asset service provider (VASP) licensing regime. The government is also launching a registration program for dealers in precious metals and stones (DPMS). […]

Is Cryptocurrency Legal in Malaysia? Cryptocurrencies: Not legal tender Cryptocurrency exchanges: Legal, must register with the Malaysian Securities Commission  Although cryptocurrencies are legal in Malaysia, they are not considered legal tender. The country’s central bank, Bank Negra Malaysia, has issued […]

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital representations of a real-world object, bought by collectors and usually sold online. They are supported by blockchain technology – often the Ethereum blockchain – and contain built-in authentication, which serves as proof of ownership.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Treasury have issued significant updates to the UK’s current and proposed crypto regulatory framework in recent months. But as the industry evolves and matures at a rapid pace, the government’s wider strategy around […]

Driven by advances in blockchain technology, the spread of cryptocurrency has introduced new financial possibilities in jurisdictions around the world. However, the opportunities and benefits of cryptocurrencies have been accompanied by new risks, as criminals use regulatory blindspots to launder […]

Trade association UK Finance has issued a new report calling for further action from the UK government and regulators to mitigate a “ransomware scourge” that produced over 620 million detected attacks in 2021. The report details growing concerns around cryptocurrencies […]

G7 finance ministers have called for action to “monitor and address financial stability risks arising from all forms of cryptoassets.” Meeting in Germany, the group argued for the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) travel rule, and stronger […]

The European Central Bank (ECB) has released a new working paper as part of its 24-month central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. The paper focuses on the technical aspects of a potential digital euro and examines digital economy pain points […]

Appearing at FINSIA’s “The Regulators” event on May 13 2022, AUSTRAC CEO, Nicole Rose, outlined the regulator’s priorities for 2022. The key focus areas pertain to high-risk, cash-intensive sectors such as pubs, clubs and betting agencies. To achieve this, AUSTRAC […]

This guide covers the essentials of building and scaling a crypto AML program, how to navigate regulatory change, and the emerging use cases – and threats – compliance teams should look out for.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned the cryptocurrency mixer service Blender.io, on account of it being used in a heist backed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fund the […]

Singapore-based cryptocurrency platform Coinhako has been granted a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to offer Digital Payment Token (DPT) Services under the Payment Services Act (PSA). The exchange is one of five firms […]