Two thirds of Estonian crypto businesses lose their licenses
Estonia has withdrawn permits from one thousand crypto companies this year. One of the countries lauded as being among the most crypto friendly in the European Union revoked the licenses of more than 1,000 crypto firms in 2020. According to news outlet Postimees, Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit, or FIU, has revoked the licenses of roughly 70% of virtual currency companies operating in the country this year. Veiko Tali, the Deputy Secretary General of the Government Committee for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, said the remaining crypto firms also required....
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About 400 crypto businesses in Estonia still hold licenses after the state revoked nearly 2,000 licenses last year. Financial regulators in the Baltic country of Estonia want to revoke all crypto exchange licenses in an effort to start the entire regulatory regime anew.Matis Mäeker, head of the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), has urged the state to “turn the regulation to zero and start licensing all over again,” local state-run news agency Eesti Ekspress reported on Wednesday.Mäeker claimed that the public is unaware of the risks of the cryptocurrency industry. Formerly the....
After revoking licenses for many crypto firms, Estonia’s parliament is considering even stricter cryptocurrency laws. Estonia’s finance ministry is reportedly looking to enact stricter crypto licensing regulations. This comes after the authorities revoked the licenses of about two-thirds of the cryptocurrency businesses operating in the country back in 2020.According to ERR News, the Estonian Ministry of Finance issued draft legislation back in January to tighten the noose on the country’s crypto industry. As part of the proposed rule changes, the Finantsinspektsioon — Estonia’s Financial....
Over 1,000 cryptocurrency firms’ licenses have been revoked in Estonia this year as the country tightens the oversight of the crypto industry amid heightened money-laundering concerns. 1,000+ Crypto Firms Lost Their Licenses This Year The Estonian Ministry of Finance revealed Friday that the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has revoked more than 1,000 crypto companies’ licenses this year. Estonia, once a Mecca for cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, started worrying about the money-laundering risks in the crypto sector last year. The announcement follows the meeting....
Local authorities hope that tackling the issue will restore trust in the e-residency program. The e-residency program of Estonia is now under the local regulator’s radar as foreigners registered as e-residents of the Baltic nation are being linked to cryptocurrency frauds. The local police’s Financial Intelligence Unit has discovered that overseas companies owned by e-residents of Estonia have been involved in multiple large-scale exit scams.Regulators also suspect that Estonian firms and e-residents were involved in organizing initial coin offering scams, according to the police report....
In October, the Estonian government invited anyone, anywhere, to become an e-citizen of the Estonian digital society, open a bank account in Estonia, or start a business. They said that, by the end of the year, anyone with an internet connection would be able to live their financial life in Estonia, all without being physically present. Also read: Become an E-Citizen of Estonian Digital Society. Yesterday those who sent a preliminary application received an email announcing the official launch of the program: "Dear future e-Resident of Estonia, We are happy to announce you that we went....