The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said it is getting closer to the establishment of a global set of anti-money laundering (AML) standards for cryptocurrencies, Financial Times reported September 19. The FATF is an international organization established in 1989 at the initiative of the G7 in order to develop policies and standards to fight money laundering. The agency’s scope of activities further expanded to combat terrorism financing. The FATF currently comprises 35 member jurisdictions and 2 regional organizations. The agency’s president Marshall Billingslea reportedly said that he expects the coordination of a series of standards that will close “gaps” in …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) about the risks of adopting a cryptocurrency as a second legal tender, according to an official press release published on September 10. In the report, the U.S.-based agency backed by the United Nations addresses the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, stating that the introduction of digital currency as an official form of legal tender will pose risks to the country’s financial integrity, as well as relationships with foreign banks. By adopting digital currency as a second official currency after the U.S. dollar, the …

Nalin Kotadiya, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) official and former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), has been remanded in custody for ten days in connection with a $1.3 million Bitcoin (BTC) extortion case, the Times of India reported September 10. A special anti-corruption court has reportedly remitted Kotadiya in police custody for a ten day custodial interrogation after he was arrested by the city crime branch and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Kotadiya was allegedly involved in a $1.3 million BTC extortion case. In April, the CID began investiging the reported kidnapping and extortion of 200 BTC from an …

An official from South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has proposed greater international cooperation between regulators for crypto and Initial Coin Offering (ICO) regulation, local news outlet Asian Economic TV reports Friday, September 7. Yoon Suk-heun, governor of FSS, made a statement about the potential for more cooperation during the opening ceremony of the 20th Integrated Financial Supervisors Conference (IFSC) held in Seoul Thursday, September 6, and attended by officials from 15 countries. The South Korean official stressed that country's main aim is to "improve transparency in transactions to prevent illegal activities." As Asia Economic TV reports, Yoon Suk-Heun urged …

The U.S. Congress Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance has discussed various methods of terrorism financing with cryptocurrency, according to an official press release on the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee September 7. In order to monitor threats and methods of terrorist financing, the hearing considered major means of transferring funds by terrorists, including traditional financial institutions and semi-formal methods, such as the hawala exchange system, as well as cryptocurrencies. However, while al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and other terrorist groups have all attempted to raise funds through crypto, they have not had great success, as Congress concluded in …

Calls to enforce clear and uniform guidelines for crypto across European Union (EU) member states are to be made before EU finance ministers this week, Reuters reports September 5. Brussels-based think tank Bruegel is said to have prepared a new report devoted to the crypto industry for EU finance ministers, who are due to meet this Friday and Saturday in Vienna, Austria. The report is said to reserve particular scrutiny for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) as well as for crypto exchanges, the latter of whose presence in the EU is set to increase this year. As the Bruegel document reportedly …

The Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece has ruled to extradite alleged BTC-e owner Alexander Vinnik to Russia to face several cyber fraud charges, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports Tuesday, September 4. The formal decision on extradition to Russia will be issued September 14, coming into force the same day. During the actual hearing, the Supreme Court will also consider France’s request on the alleged BTC-e owner’s extradition. According to RIA, Vinnik agreed with his extradition to Russia. “[This case] is now up to politicians and their will,” his attorney Timofey Musatov stated. The U.S., France, and …

Alleged former owner of crypto exchange BTC-e Alexander Vinnik was indicted and subjected to a "fake" interrogation by French prosecutors on Tuesday, August 28, his attorney Timofey Musatov told Russian news outlet Izvestiya Thursday, August 30. Musatov claims that his client Vinnik was brought to a court in Greece where he is currently awaiting extradition and then informed about official charges in France. Musatov also told Izvestiya that French prosecutors attempted to hold a "fake" interrogation without informing his lawyers, which he insists was a violation of Vinnik’s rights. He further explains that under Greek law only local security forces …

Economic and financial affairs ministers from the European Union’s (E.U.) 28 member states will reportedly hold an informal meeting on the challenges posed by digital assets and the possibility of tightening regulations, Bloomberg reported August 29. According to a draft note seen by Bloomberg, participants will discuss a general lack of transparency and the potential for cryptocurrency to be used for tax evasion, terrorist financing and money laundering at a September 7 meeting in Vienna, Austria. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has previously warned customers about Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), citing a lack of investor understanding and problems …

Tech giant IBM has applied for a blockchain patent for the development of transaction data identifiers based on nodes, according to a patent document published by the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) Aug. 16. The system described in the patent, entitled “Node Characterization in Blockchain,” intends to introduce a method of data extraction from nodes on a blockchain network in order to identify different types of transactions. Specifically, any operation on blockchain may possess a node or a number of nodes that can carry useful information about the character of transactions. According to the document, the described specification would …

Kenneth A. Blanco, director of the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), has revealed that the agency has seen a surge in filings of crypto-related Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). The number of complaints now exceeds 1,500 per month, according to him. Blanco’s remarks were made as part of a speech he delivered at the 2018 Chicago-Kent Block Legal Tech Conference August 9. The director outlined FinCEN’s ongoing role in regulation and law enforcement for the emerging crypto space, which it coordinates in tandem with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He noted …

Japan’s financial watchdog, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), has published the results of its on-site inspections of cryptocurrency exchange operators, Cointelegraph Japan reports August 10. Based on its findings, the watchdog has decided to apply more rigorous oversight into new applications from exchanges hoping to receive an official operating license. Newly registered exchanges will be required to undergo on-site inspections at an early stage and the agency plans to closely examine the effectiveness of their business models. According to the agency, there are currently “hundreds” of companies awaiting its review. The FSA probe revealed that exchange operators’ maintenance of their …