FinCen

From Dominance to Compliance

Last Tuesday saw Binance settle its long-running legal disputes with several U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). However, they failed to reach an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding their pending charges. As part of the settlement, Binance has agreed to pay an eye-popping fine of $4.3 billion. Furthermore, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the CEO of Binance, will step down

Bitcoin Taproot Upgrade: eine “unbedeutende Verbesserung”?

Analysten haben das Bitcoin-Taproot-Upgrade als “geringfügige Verbesserung einer veralteten Technologie” kritisiert.Gesponsert Gesponsert Taproot ging am 13. November in Betrieb und ist laut Befürwortern das erste “große” Bitcoin Core Upgrade seit 2017. Mit dem Update sollen Transaktionen billiger, schneller, sicherer und privater werden. Außerdem wird Taproot die Funktionalität von Smart Contracts innerhalb des Netzwerks verbessern. “Das Upgrade ist ein Schritt in die richtige Richtung”, meint der CTO von TrustToken, Betreiber von TrueFi und des Stablecoins TUSD. “Aber es ändert nichts an der Tatsache, dass Bitcoin technologisch weit hinter anderen Blockchains zurückliegt.”

Ripple CEO Says SEC Gives No Clear Framework for Crypto, Discusses XRP Lawsuit

As the lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse insists that the Commission has provided no clarity in crypto regulation. He said the SEC is using its meetings with crypto companies as lead generation for enforcement actions, and the agency has lost sight of its mission to protect investors. Ripple’s CEO Claims SEC Uses Meetings With Crypto Companies as Lead Generation for Enforcement Actions Amid the SEC’s lawsuit over XRP, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reiterated his concerns over the lack of clarity in

Ripple CEO Says SEC Gives No Clear Framework for Crypto, Discusses XRP Lawsuit

As the lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse insists that the Commission has provided no clarity in crypto regulation. He said the SEC is using its meetings with crypto companies as lead generation for enforcement actions, and the agency has lost sight of its mission to protect investors. Ripple’s CEO Claims SEC Uses Meetings With Crypto Companies as Lead Generation for Enforcement Actions Amid the SEC’s lawsuit over XRP, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reiterated his concerns over the lack of clarity in

US Treasury Proposal Applies Travel Rule to Crypto

On Dec. 18, an office within the US Treasury Department released a set of proposals regarding cross-border transfers of digital assets. The US Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released a proposal that aims to close loopholes regarding the movement of digital assets. In the announcement on the release, FinCEN also requested input from the public. The measure, called the Travel Rule, affects cross-border transfers. Know thyself The major thrust of the proposal is a change regarding privately owned digital wallets. Virtual Asset Service Providers will now have to require

Only 22% of Bankers and Financial Investigators Feel Confident Detecting Crypto-Related Payments  

Only 22% of Bankers and Financial Investigators Feel Confident Detecting Crypto-Related Payments   - CipherTrace skip to Main Content Home » Alert » Only 22% of Bankers and Financial Investigators Feel Confident Detecting Crypto-Related Payments   In a December 9 CipherTrace-ACFCS Webinar on “How Cryptocurrency Intelligence Tipped the Scales in 2020 Sanctions Evasion,” over 500 attendees from various Financial Institutions were asked if they felt confident detecting cryptocurrency related payments flowing through their institutions and/or investigations. Over three-quarters—78.2%—of attendees responded that they do not feel confident in detecting crypto-related payments

Slow But Steady: FATF Review Highlights Crypto Exchanges’ Struggle to Meet AML Standards

In June 2019, the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) introduced its revised set of standards for virtual asset service providers. The document establishes the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements that regulated VASPs —  the term mainly referring to cryptocurrency trading platforms — must eventually implement in their day-to-day operations. The guidelines are framed as recommendations, and the FATF leaves it to the participating nations’ governments to develop their own regulations in accordance with suggested principles.The watchdog has also set a 12-month review timeframe to monitor the public and

FATF Grades U.S. Government on Crypto Regulation Enforcement 

The Financial Action Task Force, one of the most prominent Anti-Money Laundering (AML) enforcers in the world, has called out the United States government for being lax on policy enforcement. On March 31, the body published a report in which it explained that the United States is only “largely compliant” with its AML and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) regulations – especially when it comes to the issue of virtual currencies. Higher Awareness is Good, but Loophole Still Exist In the report, the FATF outlined the United States’ degree of compliance with the recommendations it issued last