One of the main themes to be discussed at the G-20 Financial Ministers and Central Governors Meeting this weekend has to do with money laundering and cryptocurrency. What kind of agreement would be a surprise? Even for the purpose of introducing Anti-Money Laundering (AML), should we allow our financial privacy to be compromised? Alexander Zaidelson, the CEO of Beam, shared his views with Cointelegraph. A new agreement on crypto and AML? Jiji Press, a major Japanese publication, recently reported that there will be “a new kind of agreement as to cryptocurrency and AML/CFT.“ But for blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, which …

Russia has postponed the adoption of crypto legislation due to a requirement from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), local news agency TASS reports on May 21. According to the report, the FATF has recently ordered Russian lawmakers to expand the terminology of the federal bill on the regulation of crypto assets, requiring that the country legislate major industry terms such as cryptocurrencies and bitcoin (BTC). Russia’s major crypto bill, “On Digital Financial Assets” (DFA) was passed by the Russian parliament in May 2018, but was sent back to the first reading stage after reports of it …

Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis has hit back at recommendations from intergovernmental financial anti-crime organization the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in a direct letter dated April 8. The letter, which Chainalysis sent to the FATF, criticizes the organization’s demands to make cryptocurrency exchanges identify and keep records of senders and recipients involved in cryptocurrency transactions. These demands had surfaced at the end of February, with the FATF subsequently inviting public feedback on its literature. According to Chainalysis, such requests would place exchanges, which the FATF calls “Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs),” in an almost impossible position. Should exchanges shut down …

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization that develops policies against money laundering, has published preliminary guidelines for cryptocurrencies on its website on Thursday, Feb. 28. The FATF held a meeting on preliminary crypto requirements on Feb. 22. According to the organization, the new text of the Interpretive Note to Recommendation 15 — which contains requirements for regulating and supervising digital asset services providers — has been finalized. However, the FATF expects to benefit from private sector consultations that are scheduled for May, asking entrepreneurs to send their comments to the organization by Apr. 8. Once the recommendation …

Regulation has been a major talking point in the cryptocurrency sphere in 2018 - mainly due to the monumental crypto-craze in 2017. This has come to the fore in Europe, after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) updated its policy on cryptocurrencies in October, which were initially established back in 2015. To understand the implications of these refurbished guidelines, one needs to understand the role of the FATF and its involvement in the regulation of cryptocurrencies. FATF and crypto Established in 1989, by the G7, the FATF is responsible for creating legal, regulatory, and operational measures to prevent money laundering …

The Canadian government has released an official draft of new regulations on crypto exchanges and payment processors, Canada Gazette reports June 9. According to the draft, the new regulations seek to address a “number of deficiencies” that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) outlined after their evaluation in 2015-16, namely in strengthening Canada’s Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime (AML/ATF). The new regulations will treat crypto exchanges and payment processors as money service businesses (MSB), which requires them to report large transactions — those over $10,000 Canadian dollars ($7700 USD) — and a new Know Your Customer (KYC) threshold set …

Italy's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), an organ of the Central Bank in charge of combating money laundering and terrorist financing, issued a statement warning digital currency businesses to stay vigilant regarding suspicious activities due to the lack of AML/KYC requirements for Italian companies. In light of previous statements issued by the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Banking Authority (EBA), and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the FIU made a public announcement on February 2, emphasizing on the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing that are facing 'virtual currency' businesses. While Italian businesses involved in digital currencies such …