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Crypto exchange BitGet seals Lithuanian crypto registration

Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange BitGet secures green light to operate in Lithuania.

Cryptocurrency trading platform BitGet has officially registered as a service provider in Lithuania, allowing the Seychelles-based firm to operate in the European country.

An announcement from the exchange notes that it has met compliance standards with regional laws and regulations in the Baltic state. The country is identified as an emerging digital asset market in Europe and a haven for cryptocurrency and blockchain projects.

A recent report from Bloomberg notes that the country saw a fivefold increase in cryptocurrency company registrations through 2022 as companies looked to secure registrations in the Baltic nation after Estonia revoked hundreds of operating licenses as part of a crackdown in the country in late 2021.

BitGet noted that Lithuania remains a favorable hotspot for cryptocurrency users as well as companies looking to register legal entities to offer cryptocurrency-related services.

As a result, the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange has looked to bolster its compliance efforts according managing director Gracy Chen:

“The global regulation of digital assets is advancing on a daily basis, and we actively observe the regulatory changes around the globe. We have a whole dedicated compliance team in place to focus on various regulatory compliance matters.”

BitGet has been operating since 2018 and serves some 8 million users from over 100 countries.

Related: EU MiCA crypto regulation is a ‘balancing act’: Paris Blockchain Week 2023

Lithuania also looked to tighten rules for cryptocurrency-related businesses registering in the Baltic state in June 2022. Legal amendments to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing were proposed to enforce tighter requirements for user identification and exchange operators.

Exchanges and crypto-service providers must register as a corporate body with a minimal threshold for startup capital investments of 125,000 euros.

As reported by Bloomberg, Lithuania is also home to Bifinitey UAB, which is the payments provider for Binance Holdings Ltd. Data from Lithuania’s tax authority shows that the firm was the second biggest contributor of corporate tax in 2022.

BitGet's Lithuanian registration comes in the same week as the European parliament is expected to pass the anticipated Markets in Crypto-Assets legislation.

Magazine: Crypto regulation: Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the final say?

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Gate.io closer to launching US services after receiving local licenses

Gate US said it obtained licenses to operate in “several” U.S. states along with a money service business license from FinCEN leading up to its local launch.

Gate US, the United States arm of the fourth largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, Gate.io says it has received operating licenses in “several” states, bringing it closer to launching services in the country.

Founder and president of Gate.io and its U.S. entity, Dr. Lin Han, announced in a Dec. 19 statement that Gate US is now registered as a money services business with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) — the country’s money laundering and financial crimes watchdog.

He added the exchange “obtained some money transmission licenses or similar to operate, and is currently working to obtain more."

Gate US did not disclose what states it had obtained licenses from but said it is yet to accept users from the country at this stage. Its terms of use however states it will not be available to residents in New York, Hawaii and the territory of Puerto Rico.

Cointelegraph contacted Gate.io for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The exchange is slated to provide services to both retail and institutional users when it opens for U.S. customers.

It joins the likes of other top exchanges by volume registered in the U.S. such as Coinbase, Kraken, Binance US and Gemini. Another popular exchange FTX.US, the U.S. arm of FTX, left a void in the market after being swept up in bankruptcy proceedings in early November.

Related: Here’s how centralized exchanges aim to win back users after the FTX collapse

Han said that it had proactively registered as a money services business as it is “committed to regulatory compliance.”

In a Dec. 20 blog post, parent company Gate.io forecasted impending “inevitable” regulatory frameworks to come in 2023 citing the failure of the Terra ecosystem and bankruptcies of crypto platforms Celsius, BlockFi and FTX.

Earlier in December, a U.S. lawmaker introduced bills aiming to require exchanges to disclose proof of reserves to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

If the laws come to fruition, it could spell difficulties for Gate.io as Armanino, the accounting firm it worked with for its proof of reserve attestation, quietly ended its crypto auditing services on Dec. 15.

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