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India’s FIU Considers Approving More Offshore Crypto Exchanges

India’s FIU Considers Approving More Offshore Crypto ExchangesIndia’s Financial Intelligence Unit is reportedly reviewing four offshore cryptocurrency exchanges for potential approval to resume operations following the lifting of bans on Binance and Kucoin. The focus is on ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, including transaction transparency and reporting of suspicious activity. FIU-India May Permit More Offshore Crypto Exchanges Next Year India’s Financial […]

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Fed hits Texas bank with cease and desist over servicing crypto firms

The US Federal Reserve said it identified “significant deficiencies” in the bank’s dealings with crypto clients and its risk management procedures.

The United States Federal Reserve has issued a cease and desist order to the crypto-friendly United Texas Bank, citing “significant deficiencies” in the bank’s risk management systems and dealings with crypto clients.

In a Sept. 4 cease and desist order, the Fed said it had examined United Texas Bank in May and found issues with its corporate governance structure and “oversights” by the bank’s board of directors and senior management. 

“The Examination identified significant deficiencies related to foreign correspondent banking and virtual currency customers, specifically risk management and compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations relating to anti-money laundering including the Bank Secrecy Act,” the Fed wrote in its order. 

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Binance’s return to India comes with $86M tax demand

While Indian AML agencies have given Binance the green light to resume operations, authorities are still seeking $86 million in tax liabilities from the firm.

Binance recently announced its return to India on the occasion of the country’s 78th independence day — marking a fresh start to crypto adoption in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies.

However, the exchange still faces an $86 million tax demand from Indian authorities under the Goods and Services Tax.

Binance’s return to India is the culmination of a complex regulatory process. In December 2023, the Indian Ministry of Finance’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) issued notices to several offshore crypto exchanges, including Binance, KuCoin, Bittrex, Gate.io and OKX, among others, for operating illegally in India.

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Seychelles Approves Bill on Virtual Asset Regulation

Seychelles Approves Bill on Virtual Asset RegulationThe Seychelles National Assembly has approved a draft bill to regulate virtual asset service providers (VASPs). The bill requires license-seeking VASPs to establish a substantial presence in Seychelles, such as having a resident director and an office with competent staff. The law aims to balance innovation with anti-money laundering efforts, adhering to Financial Action Task […]

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Moody’s, Elliptic join forces for enhanced VASP risk screening

The companies will combine their strengths to provide enhanced virtual asset service providers screening ability.

The Moody’s financial research and ratings firm has teamed up with blockchain analytics and compliance specialists Elliptic to provide more insightful screening of virtual asset service providers (VASPs). According to the companies, the collaboration will leverage offchain and onchain data in a single interface. 

The new service will take input such as digital asset transaction histories, financial records and regulatory databases to create a “comprehensive overview” of VASPs.

Elliptic has profiles of over 1,000 VASPs and uses real-time onchain data and proprietary technology to screen digital asset transactions for exposure to illicit activities. Moody’s offchain data includes over 21 million risk profiles, 489 million entities and 51,000 sanctioned entities, it claims. It uses the data to produce Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer solutions for its clients.

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Binance Goes Live in India: Full Access for Indian Users

Binance Goes Live in India: Full Access for Indian UsersBinance has registered as a reporting entity with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit. Binance CEO Richard Teng emphasized the importance of the Indian market and the crypto exchange’s dedication to providing secure and efficient services. With this registration, Indian users now have full access to Binance’s platform. Binance Now Fully Available for Indian Users Crypto exchange […]

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Peru Issues VASP Regulation, Strengthens AML/TF Requirements

Peru Issues VASP Regulation, Strengthens AML/TF RequirementsThe Superintendence of Banking and Insurance (SBS) of Peru, has issued a resolution that forces VASPs to implement Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) measures as part of a compliance plan. The resolution is in line with FATF recommendations and seeks to control and avoid criminals to use these platforms for illicit purposes. […]

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Hawaii crypto firms no longer need MT license, regulator rules

While being exempt from the Money Transmitter License requirement, crypto firms in Hawaii will still have to comply with any federal licensing laws.

Cryptocurrency firms in Hawaii are now officially exempt from the requirement to receive a Money Transmitter License (MTL) to run business in the state.

The Hawai‘i Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) informed the public that the state concluded the collaborative crypto research project Digital Currency Innovation Lab (DCIL) on June 30, 2024.

Initiated in 2020, DCIL aimed to explore the landscape of digital currency activity within the state as well as assess the regulatory framework required for crypto-related companies.

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Blockchain Association objects to IRS broker rule in letter

The Washington DC-based blockchain advocacy group argued the IRS' broker rule provisions violate the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The Blockchain Association is once again objecting to the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) proposed broker-dealer rules; this time focusing on the undue burden the rules would impose on investors, cryptocurrency companies, and the Internal Revenue Service itself.

In the letter, the industry advocacy group cited the Paperwork Reduction Act, which states that government regulators must not burden individuals and entities involved in the financial system with unnecessary and obtuse paperwork requirements.

Spokespeople for the Blockchain Association argued that signing these proposed rules into law would add 8 billion 1099-DA tax forms that must be processed, 4 billion hours in labor wasted to process the forms, and an annual compliance cost of $254 billion.

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Citadel-backed Hidden Road halts ByBit access for clients

Hidden Road cited Know Your Customer verification policies and concerns surrounding Anti-Money Laundering regulations on the ByBit exchange.

Hidden Road, a Citadel-backed brokerage firm, has officially halted access to the ByBit exchange for Hidden Road clients, who were notified of the impending change weeks ago.

According to Bloomberg, the restriction on services resulted from differences between Hidden Road and ByBit regarding Know Your Customer (KYC) verification procedures and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.

In response, ByBit claimed that it would conduct an audit of its brokerage business to ensure regulatory policy was being implemented correctly.

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