Financial Watchdog FinCEN Recruits First-Ever Chief Digital Currency Advisor

Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) explaining the misuse of cryptocurrencies is a national priority last week, the bureau announced on Tuesday it hired its first-ever chief digital currency advisor. FinCEN’s acting director Michael Mosier detailed that Michele Korver will be the bureau’s new crypto expert and she brings “a wealth of digital currency … Read more

Binance Deploys Crypto Monitoring ‘Traveler’ System to Comply With FATF Travel Rule

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 implementing this automatic Travel Rule compliance system. Binance Implements Ciphertrace’s … Read more

US State Department Official Wants El Salvador to ‘Ensure Bitcoin Is Well Regulated’

The U.S. Department of State’s undersecretary of state for political affairs, Victoria Nuland, has explained during a press conference that the U.S. has urged El Salvador to be responsible with the country’s new bitcoin law. Nuland told the press that the U.S. was taking a “tough look at Bitcoin” and that Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele … Read more

Crypto Travel Rule Working Group Launches 2.0 Protocol ‘Solving the Discoverability Problem’

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 experience.” TRP is backed by big banks like Fidelity Investments, Standard Chartered, and … Read more

FATF’s Annual Crypto Review Highlights ‘Continued Use of Anonymity Tactics’ and ‘Lack of Effective’ Regulation

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] effective” regulation makes it “challenging for competent authorities to follow the transaction trail, buying more … Read more

Malta’s ‘Wild West’ Approach: Regulators Claim $70 Billion in Crypto Passed Through ‘Blockchain Island’

The island country of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea has been known to be friendly toward cryptocurrency solutions and blockchain technology for years now. According to a regional report, government sources say more than $70 billion moved through the country over past years while regulations were lax. Furthermore, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was … Read more

Japan’s Top Financial Watchdog Sends a Warning Crypto Derivatives Exchange Bybit

The Japanese government’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has issued a warning to the crypto derivatives exchange Bybit claiming that the trading platform is allowing residents of Japan access to the exchange. The news follows the Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda criticizing digital currencies for speculation. Japan’s FSA Warns Bybit Fintech Limited Japan’s top regulator … Read more