European Commission Seeks More Customer Data from Bitcoin Services
The European Commission, the executive arm for the European Union, has said that it plans to tighten reporting standards for digital currency exchanges as part of a broader effort to restrict terrorist financing channels. The Commission said that it intends to require both exchange and wallet service providers in Europe to identify their customers, a move that comes after growing debate among EU policymakers about whether digital currencies are being used by terrorist groups to transfer funds. The announcement comes on the heels of a report by the EU’s top law enforcement agency, Europol,....
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The European Commission and its partnering agencies including Europol have become increasingly active in its investigation on terrorist financing and and the use of digital currencies such as bitcoin in the dark web. As a part of its global initiative to reduce and restrict financial flows of terrorists and money laundering, the European Commission has proposed to regulate digital currency exchange platforms under the scope of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which would require bitcoin exchanges to keep sensitive customer data records for bitcoin-to-fiat trading. “These platforms have....
In a sweeping effort to present an action plan to combat and curb terrorism financing, the European Commission is looking ascertain more information from virtual currency service providers in Europe. The services under the scanner include exchanges and wallets. The European Commission – the executive arm of the European Union – is looking to make several amendments to the Anti Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) in a new proposal through an action plan. The amendments, if enforced, are likely to be mandated by the second quarter of 2016. If the changes come into effect, exchanges and wallet....
The European Council, a body within the European Union composed of heads of state as well as the president of the confederation's executive branch, will propose rules for digital currency exchanges and wallet providers in the region by June, according to statements today following a meeting in Brussels. The news comes on the heels of a move by the European Commission to set the stage for stricter oversight of exchanges and wallet service providers. On 2nd February, the Commission said that it seeks “to help identify the users who trade in virtual currencies”, as well as end “the anonymity....
The European Banking Association (EBA) has called for more details regarding the European Union's (EU) plan to impose tighter anti-money laundering (AML) controls on digital currency exchanges and custodial wallet services. The group, which counts more than 100 major banking institutions as members, offered comment yesterday on a prior proposal from the executive branch of the EU to bring exchange and wallet services under the Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Proponents say the move would end the perceived anonymity of purchases and transactions conducted using the technology. Still,....
Last month, the European Commission published a draft directive proposing to extend anti-money laundering (AML) regulation to both virtual currency exchange services and custodial wallet providers. The draft suggests that many Bitcoin companies operating within the European Union will need to apply know-your-customer (KYC) types of checks on their users, to be enforced by 2017. Phrasing of the directive left some uncertainty over its extent, however —in particular over what are considered “wallet providers offering custodial services of credentials necessary to access virtual currencies.”....