The Association of Cryptocurrency Enterprises and Startups, Singapore (ACCESS), has developed a Code of Practice in partnership with multinational law firm Linklaters. A Global Legal Post report published Aug. 19 revealed that ACCESS had the support of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — the country’s central bank and regulatory authority — and also consulted the Association of Banks in Singapore to launch the new initiative. Tackling AML/CFT Risks The new Code of Practice falls within the scope of ACCESS’ “Standardization of Practice in Crypto Entities,” which provides detailed Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) guidelines (including …

Kenneth A. Blanco, the director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), has urged casinos to follow the agency’s guidelines in regards to suspicious convertible virtual currency (CVC) activity. During his speech at the 12th Annual Las Vegas Anti-Money Laundering Conference on Aug. 13, Blanco addressed casinos’ compliance with the FinCEN’s guidance released in May. In their guidance, the FinCEN considered certain business models involving CVC financial institutions to help them comply with their existing obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The guidance, however, did not establish any new regulatory expectations or requirements. A gap in reporting Blanco specified …

Crypto market aggregator CoinGecko has joined the network of blockchain analytics and anti-money laundering (AML) company Coinfirm. This partnership will reportedly allow CoinGecko to improve its exchange Trust Score algorithm, as well as provide users with a means to report scams and hacks. The companies shared a press release with Cointelegraph on Aug. 16. According to documentation from Coinfirm, the company runs the AMLT network that allows members to report cryptocurrency addresses tied to hacks, ransomware, scams and fraud. Coinfirm then blocks these users and funds across the AMLT network. In return for supplying good information, Coinfirm rewards its members …

As the appeal of cryptocurrency has grown, so has the opportunity for scammers to part naive investors from their money. 2019 has been no exception, with cryptocurrency and blockchain forensics company Ciphertrace dubbing it “the year of the exit scam.” Exit scams are not a new phenomenon, with a 2018 report conducted by Statis Group revealing over 80% of initial coin offerings (ICOs) in that year to have been fraudulent. Here, Cointelegraph explains exit scams and how to spot them, as well as a look at some of the biggest scams that have been discovered by various researchers. What are …

On July 25, 2019, United States prosecutors filed a complaint against the defunct cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e and its alleged former operator, Alexander Vinnik. The indictment was filed nearly 24 months after Vinnik was arrested in Greece while on holiday with his family and has followed numerous extradition requests from the U.S., France and Russia that have seen Vinnik’s case appear to morph from an investigation into alleged money laundering to a tug-of-war over a strategic intelligence asset between the U.S. and Russia. Vinnik’s arrest in July 2017 On July 26, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Vinnik …

About 15 global jurisdictions, including the G7 countries, will reportedly develop a system for tracking crypto transactions to prevent illicit uses of cryptocurrencies. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is planning to prepare detailed measures by 2020, according to a report by Tokyo-based newspaper Nikkei on Aug. 9. The new system intends to collect and distribute personal data on individuals who conduct crypto transactions in order to prevent funds from being used for illegal activities such as money laundering and terrorism financing, the report notes. While a number of global jurisdictions have not adopted regulatory frameworks in regard to the …

Wealthy businessman Eike Batista has been arrested by federal police on account of suspected money laundering, which they believe he achieved by trading Bitcoin (BTC) on his wife’s behalf. The details of Batista’s arrest were reported by Cointelegraph Brasil on Aug. 8. Prosecutors reportedly found notes indicating that he had traded BTC for his wife, who is not currently being investigated. The Federal Prosecutor wrote: "Although the suspect’s wife, Mrs. Flávia, is not being investigated, it is quite possible, given the evidence of such a usual means of money laundering that the suspect was using the wife's name and account …

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange VC Trade has integrated an anti-money laundering (AML) compliance technology developed by Taiwanese digital currency hardware wallet company CoolBitX. As Japanese finance-focused news outlet Blocktempo reported on Aug. 8, VC Trade — a crypto exchange founded by Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings last June — has adopted CoolBitX’s Sygna, a know-your customer (KYC) and AML compliance technology focused on digital currency transactions. CoolBitX’s founder and CEO Michael Ou ostensibly explained that the Sygna system allows users to withdraw assets to their wallets through a KYC multi-level checkpoint. If one of the parties participating in the transaction is …

The Czech Republic is expected to enforce stricter oversight of cryptocurrencies than that required by the European Union’s bloc-wide Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) regulatory regime. According to a report from local newspaper Hospodářské Noviny on Aug. 8, the Czech Republic’s transposition of the European Union (EU)’s Fifth AML Directive (AMLD5) looks set to impose yet stricter requirements on cryptocurrency firms than those established by Brussels. Above and beyond EU regulations As an indication of the stringent measures ahead, Hospodářské Noviny reveals that Czech regulators plan to impose a hefty fine — up to half a million koruna or roughly $20,000 — on …

A Thai regulator announced that the regulator will amend regulation to prevent crypto use for illicit activities, English-language local news outlet BangkokPost reports on Aug. 5. AMLO to focus on cryptocurrencies Per the report, Acting Secretary-General of the Thai Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), Pol Maj Gen Preecha Charoensahayanon, stated that cryptocurrencies will be used for money laundering. For this reason, he reportedly announced that AMLO will also focus on amending existing anti-money laundering regulations to prevent the use of digital currencies for illegal activities in the near future. Data sharing requirements for exchanges Charoensahayanon intends to start with changing the …

Cryptocurrency compliance company Elliptic has released the Elliptic Data Set, geared toward identifying cryptocurrency transactions associated with money laundering (AML). The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 2. Making the crypto world more transparent Having developed a data set of 200,000 Bitcoin (BTC) transactions with a total value of $6 billion, Elliptic claims it to be the largest set of labeled transaction data publicly available in any digital currency in the world. According to the announcement, the product is designed to help users more efficiently identify illicit transactions, as well as transactions associated with …

Switzerland’s biggest cross-industry self-regulatory organization (SRO) has seen a spike of members from the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. 88 members of Financial Services Standards Association have connections to crypto The Swiss Financial Services Standards Association (VQF), the oldest and largest SRO in the country, said that 7% of its membership is connected with crypto-related businesses, financial news outlet Finews reports Aug. 2. Simon Waelti, one of the co-CEOs at the association, clarified that 88 members in VQF have a connection to crypto so far, adding that the figure may come to vary over the course of the year. The mission …