The Michigan House of Representatives has passed a bill, HB 4102, on April 9 that would include cryptocurrencies in criminal codes regarding illegal actions for financial gain. Michigan lawmakers have voted to introduce amendments to various sections of the Michigan Penal Code, specifying that cryptocurrency would be included in provisions relating to money laundering, embezzlement, credit card fraud and financial transactions involving the proceeds of a criminal offense. The legislation also prohibits the collection of cryptocurrency — or any currency — for the fighting, baiting or shooting of an animal. State Rep. Ryan Berman told the Detroit News that the …

A LocalBitcoins trader who sold Bitcoin (BTC) to more than 1,000 people in the United States will serve two years in federal jail, a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of California confirmed on April 8. Jacob Burrell Campos, a Mexican citizen, amassed more than $820,000 from Bitcoin sales on the P2P platform between 2015 and 2018. Through a combination of cash meetups, ATM transfers and MoneyGram, Burrell served traders on the site without performing anti-money laundering (AML) checks and due diligence on the source of the incoming USD funds, prosecutors said. In custody since …

A 33-year old Danish man has been sentenced to four years and three months in jail for laundering over $450,000 in Bitcoin (BTC), tech news agency The Next Web reports April 8. Citing a press release from Danish Police, the report says that the criminal pleaded guilty to laundering 3 million Danish kroner that came from criminal activity. The crypto launderer reportedly exchanged the dirty money in Bitcoin and sent the funds to his accomplices via accounts of unspecified foreign crypto exchanges. Danish police reportedly detected the intruder through an investigation of card abuse after they found that one of …

The Republic of Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance plans to release legal amendments for operating crypto-related businesses in the country, Riga-based newspaper The Baltic Times reports on April 8. According to the report, the Lithuanian finance ministry wants to bring more legal certainty to the operation of companies relating to cryptocurrency exchanges, crypto wallet operators, as well as initial coin offerings (ICOs). By enforcing legal requirements in the industry, the authority reportedly seeks to ensure an efficient policy against money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as to guarantee a due level of consumer protection, the articles writes. The new amendments …

G20 member countries will meet to discuss international cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulation on June 8 and 9 in Fukuoka, Japan. The news was revealed in a report from local news outlet Kyodo on April 4. Per the report, and in accordance with official plans, G20 central bank governors and finance ministers will take part in the meeting. The event will be focused on establishing a framework to combat crypto-enabled money laundering and terrorism financing. Further, according to the Kyodo, it is expected that “it was revealed” on April 4 that the countries are expected to reach an agreement over …

Dozens of central banks around the world are currently or soon will be experimenting with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to a recent report from the World Economic Forum. Citing a January 2019 report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the WEF states that at least 40 central banks across globally are conducting research projects and pilots with blockchain technology that aim to address such issues as financial inclusion, payments efficiency and cybersecurity. The report states that CBDCs, which are issued on distributed ledgers and can be transacted in a peer-to-peer manner, will purportedly enable faster and more …

The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has partnered with risk management and compliance firm IdentityMind, Binance announced in a blog post on March 26. The companies have teamed up to address data security and compliance measures for Binance’s global operations by enabling IdentityMind’s tools for Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance. Samuel Lim, chief compliance officer at Binance, said that the ultimate mission of the partnership is to foster greater trust among financial institutions worldwide, while also to evolve security systems in accordance with regulatory policies in countries operated by Binance. Garrett Gafke, president and CEO of …

Blockchain intelligence firm CipherBlade has accused the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of using flawed investigative methods and thus overestimating the extent of alleged money laundering via crypto exchange ShapeShift. CipherBlade’s analysis of the WSJ report was published in a blog post on March 20. As reported, the WSJ published a lengthy exposé in fall 2018 that alleged ShapeShift had facilitated the laundering of at least $9 million via cryptocurrencies — purportedly more than any exchange with offices in the United States in the course of the Journal’s investigations. The WSJ had claimed that the exchange had processed millions of dollars …

International banking authority the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) has issued a warning statement on crypto assets on March 13. The BCBS is a committee of banking supervisory authorities hosted and supported by the Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) — an organization made up of 60 of the world’s central banks In today’s statement, the committee warned that the robust growth of the crypto industry could potentially “raise financial stability concerns and increase risks faced by banks.” The committee noted the risks were present despite the crypto market’s currently small scale in relation to the scope of the …

Binance-backed over-the-counter (OTC) desk Koi Trading has partnered with IdentityMind, a platform for online risk management, to develop an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance-as-a-service product. The development was announced in a press release published on March 12. The parties have reportedly released an AML compliance-as-a-service product dubbed “Koi Compliance,” supporting digital currency and targeting money services businesses. The new platform will purportedly enable companies to focus on conducting their business, letting Koi Compliance to perform Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, monitor transactions, conduct sanctions screening, and keep records. Last November, Koi Trading received $3 million in investment from Binance Labs, an …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has appointed blockchain security firm CipherTrace to monitor activity by crypto businesses in Malta, local news agency The Times of Malta reports on March 11. CipherTrace is now set to be responsible for overseeing regulatory processes and audit risk management of virtual asset businesses licensed in Malta, CipherTrace CEO Joseph Cuschier explained. The United States-based blockchain security company will assist the MFSA in combating money laundering and financing terrorism risks associated with entities involved in crypto businesses. As previously reported, the MFSA envisions coordinating interactions with crypto-related businesses such as initial coin offering (ICO) …

The Court of Justice in the Brazilian state of São Paulo has dismissed the appeal made by Banco Santander against cryptocurrency exchange Mercado Bitcoin, and ruled that the bank should return funds to the company, local crypto media CriptomoedasFacil reports on March 8. Previously, the bank reportedly closed the exchange’s account, claiming that its activity was incompatible with its policy and froze the funds. According to the article, the Brazilian exchange took action through the courts against the closing of its account, claiming that the freeze of its funds was unjustified. Per the report, the funds to be returned amount …