Are AML, KYC and Other Regulations Really Important for Bitcoin?
Is it really necessary to implement AML and KYC regulations for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? There has been some debate on the need of blanket Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Even though it is a long-standing debate, it was further fueled by a recent blog post by Tim Swanson, the Director of Market Research at R3CEV, where he calls for such regulations by giving examples of few frauds and Ponzi schemes in the cryptocurrency sector. Ponzi Schemes and Frauds Were There Even before Bitcoin. Greed is an....
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As many may already be aware, July 17, 2014, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued its proposal for the regulation of virtual currencies (Proposed Regulations).¹. At this point, the Proposed Regulations are exactly that - a proposal. There is a 45-day period of public comment, after which the NYDFS may or may not consider the comments it receives. Then, with any revisions that NYDFS deems necessary, the Proposed Regulations will become final and official. Understandably, there has been quite an uproar about the Proposed Regulations among the virtual currency world,....
Financial regulations are usually a way for the government to combat money laundering and terrorism funding in their jurisdiction. Thanks to the transparent nature of blockchain technology, Know-Your-Transaction protocols will become a lot easier to implement. Anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism regulations are two....
Speaking at the BITS Emerging Payments Forum today, Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky released the final set of Bitcoin regulations, commonly known as BitLicense. The rules and regulations will govern only the financial intermediaries associated with Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Mr. Lawsky said: "The emergence of digital currency and other new forms of payments technology represent an important test for financial regulators such as NYDFS. We have a responsibility to regulate new financial products in order to help protect consumers and....
Forthcoming regulations are “going to be a lot less bad than people will worry about.” Brian Brooks, the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said regulators are not looking to “kill” Bitcoin (BTC) but instead ensure its smooth integration into the financial system. In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box on Friday, Brooks said: “We're very focused on getting this right. We are very focused on not killing this, and it is equally important that we develop the networks behind Bitcoin and other cryptos as it is that we prevent money laundering and terrorism financing.”The....
Fred Wilson is a VC and principal of Union Square Ventures. USV invests in bitcoin companies, but not the currency itself. Fred is interested in bitcoin because he believes it can be and possibly will be the financial and transactional protocol for the global Internet. Here, he shares his thoughts on New York State's revised Bitlicense regulations. Over the past year, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), led by Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky, has been attempting to create a set of regulations for virtual currency services. They called this set of regulations the....