AML

ESMA has told unauthorized crypto-asset service providers to wind down EU operations as the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation transitional period ends on July 1, 2026. The public statement gives crypto firms a clear shutdown path if they have not secured MiCA authorization by the deadline. Providers still serving EU clients under older national regimes must stop treating the transition as open-ended and begin an orderly exit from the market. Unauthorized CASPs must stop onboarding new EU clients, stop opening new…

Four law enforcement organizations have sent a new letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt warning that Section 604 of the CLARITY Act could weaken oversight of crypto activity tied to crime. The letter, flagged by Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, focuses on Section 604, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, which is designed to protect non-controlling blockchain developers and infrastructure providers from being treated as money transmitters simply because they write code, operate…

Anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement has overtaken securities classification as the top regulatory risk for digital asset firms, according to CertiK’s Skynet State of Digital Asset Regulations Report published Tuesday. AML-related fines exceeded $900 million in the first half of 2025, the report found, while U.S. SEC crypto penalties fell 97% year-over-year as the US DOJ and FinCEN absorbed the agenda. Enforcement Shifts From Classification to AML Pressure Two settlements anchor the trend. OKX paid $504 million to U.S. authorities in…

A U.S. digital asset policy report is putting two market-structure issues at the center of the next crypto compliance debate: how anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules should apply inside decentralized finance, and whether institutions should get a narrow legal safe harbor to temporarily hold suspicious digital assets during an investigation. Alex Thorn highlighted those sections in a post on X, while the underlying policy language appears in the administration’s digital asset report released by the President’s Working Group on…

[PRESS RELEASE – Denver, USA, September 15th, 2025, Chainwire] As a globally leading digital asset trading platform, XXKK Exchange is committed to creating a secure, transparent, and compliant trading environment. With the rapid growth of the global digital asset market and the increasing complexity of cross-border transactions, regulatory compliance and risk management have become critical priorities for exchanges. To address these challenges and safeguard user funds and privacy, XXKK Exchange has announced a comprehensive upgrade of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML)…

Paxos has agreed to pay $48.5 million to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). This is to resolve allegations related to inadequate due diligence on its former partner, Binance, and failures in its anti-money laundering program. NYDFS Probe Finds Paxos Lacked Oversight According to an August 7 press release, the terms of the settlement require the stablecoin issuer to pay a $26.5 million fine and invest $22 million in its compliance program. Paxos previously issued the Binance USD…

A Brazilian bank, known as Banco Bradescohas, recently rejected an agreement hindering the closure of crypto exchanges accounts. Banco Bradescohas’s recent act could mean it is completely cutting ties with the cryptocurrency exchanges. The fact that Banco Bradescohas is a renowned bank in Brazil may negatively affect the country’s cryptocurrency domain after the bank shunned the agreement. In December 2019, the Administrative Council of Economic Defense of Brazil clarified that withdrawal of bank services offered to crypto exchanges is not…

Laundering‌ ‌money‌ ‌through‌ ‌traditional‌ ‌banking‌ ‌systems‌ ‌has‌ ‌become ‌a‌ ‌common‌ ‌practice‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌years.‌ ‌A‌ ‌report‌ ‌released‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌United‌ ‌Nations‌ ‌office‌ ‌on‌ ‌drugs‌ ‌and‌ ‌crime ‌gives‌ an ‌account‌ ‌of‌ ‌unlawful‌ ‌bank‌ ‌transactions‌ ‌valued‌ ‌in‌ ‌trillions‌ ‌being‌ ‌carried‌ ‌out‌ ‌through‌ ‌the‌ ‌networks‌ ‌of‌ ‌traditional‌ ‌banks‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌year.‌ ‌ However‌, when‌ ‌it‌ ‌comes‌ ‌to‌ ‌‌Bitcoin‌,‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌general‌ ‌belief‌ ‌that‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌preferred‌ ‌platform‌ ‌for‌ ‌criminals‌ ‌and‌ ‌con‌ ‌artists‌ ‌to‌ ‌carry‌ ‌out‌ ‌illicit‌ ‌transactions.‌ Even so, the number…

Cryptocurrency exchange OKX is under renewed regulatory scrutiny in Europe after Maltese authorities issued a major fine for violations of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws.Malta’s Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) has fined Okcoin Europe — OKX’s Europe-based subsidiary — 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million) after detecting multiple AML failures on the platform in the past, the authority announced on April 3.While admitting that OKX has significantly improved its AML policies in the past 18 months, the authority “could not ignore” its…