Autor Cointelegraph by Christina Comben

KuCoin EU has appointed a new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) chief and expanded its compliance team in Vienna, weeks after Austrian regulators barred the exchange from taking on new business under Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) regime.The MiCA-licensed entity named Carmen Kleinhans as its Anti-Money Laundering officer, alongside two deputy AML officers drawn from former Austrian regulators and bank compliance chiefs. According to a Wednesday release, the team will oversee AML, Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) and sanctions controls, as well as enterprise-wide risk management and regulatory engagement.The move follows a February decision by Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) to prohibit KuCoin EU from onboarding new clients or signing new contracts after finding that key AML/CTF and sanctions compliance roles were not adequately staffed, breaching internal organizational requirements.The hires mark an effort by the exchange to address those gaps and align more closely with traditional financial services compliance expectations, as regulators increasingly focus on governance and controls rather than solely technical breaches.Related: Thailand crypto platforms freeze 10K accounts in AML crackdown: ReportWider regulatory pressure on KuCoinThe new staffing push also comes against a broader backdrop of rising AML and sanctions scrutiny in crypto, with regulators increasingly willing to freeze or partially suspend business over governance and staffing failures rather than just technical breaches of securities or licensing rules.A Tuesday report by blockchain security auditor CertiK showed that KuCoin and OKX were among the exchanges hit with some of the largest AML-related penalties in 2025, highlighting how enforcement has shifted toward financial crime and controls rather than solely securities law issues. Notable AML-Related Penalties in 2025. Source: CertiKAt a group level, KuCoin has also faced regulatory action in other jurisdictions. In January 2025, it agreed to pay nearly $300 million and exit the US market for two years in a criminal resolution over unlicensed money-transmission and AML failures, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.On March 30, the parent company of KuCoin agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty to settle a case by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission alleging it operated an unregistered offshore commodities exchange. Earlier that same month, KuCoin received a warning from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority over allegedly offering virtual asset services in the emirate without the required local licence.Whether the hires are enough to restore normal operations under KuCoin EU’s Austrian authorization now depends on the FMA’s assessment of whether the required control functions have been fully and suitably restored.Cointelegraph reached out to KuCoin EU for comment, but had not received a response by publication.Magazine: How AI just dramatically sped up the quantum risk for BitcoinCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

The Canadian government has proposed banning Bitcoin and other crypto ATMs, arguing the machines have become a primary on-ramp for fraudsters and money launderers rather than a convenient access point for everyday users. The government’s Spring Economic Update 2026, published on April 28, says crypto ATMs are a “primary method for scammers to defraud victims and for criminals to place their cash proceeds of crime,” and explicitly states that the government “proposes to ban crypto ATMs.” The proposal states that Canadians will still be able to buy virtual currencies from brick-and-mortar money services businesses, but the standalone kiosks that have proliferated in malls, gas stations and corner stores would be phased out.The move adds to a broader push by Ottawa to clamp down on what it frames as retail-facing crypto risks as fraud cases surge, while bringing more of the digital asset sector under tighter federal oversight. Authorities say the move is aimed at cutting off one of the most common channels used in scams that have increasingly targeted Canadians.The policy is of particular note given Canada’s early role in the sector. The world’s first publicly available Bitcoin ATM went live in a Vancouver coffee shop in 2013, making Canada the birthplace of the Bitcoin ATM. Spring Economic Update 2026. Source: Government of CanadaSince then, the country has grown into one of the most crypto-ATM-dense markets globally, a status regulators say has given it disproportionate exposure to fraud. Coin ATM Radar data estimates that Canada accounts for 10.1% of global crypto ATMs, second only to the United States. A months-long CBC investigation and internal Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) analysis posted April 28 found that crypto ATMs have become the principal method used by domestic and foreign criminal fraudsters to extract money from Canadian scam victims and push those funds into the crypto ecosystem. Law enforcement agencies told CBC they have seen a clear uptick in cases where victims are instructed to feed cash into these machines under the guise of paying tax debts, securing romance relationships or recovering hacked accounts.Related: Canada revokes 47 crypto money licenses, vows to continueBan forms part of broader crypto regulatory pushThe proposed ATM ban sits within a broader effort to tighten controls around high-risk corners of Canada’s crypto market while drawing core infrastructure more firmly into the regulatory perimeter. Crypto ATM distribution by continents and countries. Source: Coin ATM RadarThe same Spring Economic Update bolsters a new Financial Crimes Agency and gives FINTRAC more tools to refuse or revoke registrations for non-compliant money services businesses, including crypto companies.In parallel, Ottawa has enacted a federal stablecoin framework in Bill C-15 that makes the Bank of Canada the supervisor and requires fiat-referenced issuers to register, fully back reserves and redeem at par, with most rules kicking in after regulations are finalized ahead of an expected 2027 start date. Lawmakers are also advancing Bill C-25 to bar cryptocurrency donations in federal politics over concerns about traceability and foreign interference, as the country adopts a regulation-first approach to target retail-facing abuse risks and pull core digital asset rails under federal oversight.Magazine: Bitcoin will not hit $1M by 2030, says veteran trader Peter BrandtCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Anti-Money Laundering enforcement has overtaken securities violations as the leading regulatory threat facing crypto companies, according to CertiK, with the United States Department of Justice and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network imposing over $1 billion in AML-related fines during the first half of 2025.The shift marks a sharp break from the US Securities and Exchange Commission-led enforcement cycle that defined earlier years of crypto regulation. SEC crypto-specific penalties collapsed 97% in penalty value year over year, dropping from $4.9 billion in 2024 to $142 million in 2025, according to a Tuesday report by blockchain security auditor CertiK.Transaction monitoring and licensing failures are now drawing penalties that rival or exceed many earlier crypto securities cases. The DOJ’s February 2025 settlement with OKX reached $504 million, while KuCoin paid $297 million in January 2025, both for operating unlicensed money transmitting businesses and Bank Secrecy Act violations.Notable AML-related penalties in 2025. Source: CertiKThe surge in AML enforcement highlights regulators’ growing focus on compliance controls and financial surveillance, with penalties increasingly targeting operational failures rather than disclosure-related violations. The shift reflects both a change in US administration policy and a broader reassessment of the SEC’s jurisdictional approach to digital assets, according to the report. Related: AMLBot says social engineering drove 65% of crypto cases it probed in 2025Sanctions-related crypto volume grew over 400% year-over-year in 2025, driven primarily by Russia-linked networks and state-aligned stablecoin infrastructure, forcing regulators across all major jurisdictions to prioritize transaction monitoring and cross-border financial crime compliance over token classification disputes.European AML fines surged 767% over the same period, while Asia-Pacific regulators increasingly favor license revocations and business improvement orders over monetary penalties.Broader regulatory trendsThe enforcement pivot coincides with broader global regulatory trends documented in the report. Stablecoin regulations, for example, are moving from design to implementation across major jurisdictions, with binding frameworks now operational from the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act to the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regime.Prudential standards for custodians and exchanges are tightening, with requirements now covering capital adequacy, asset segregation, liquidity management and recovery planning.The Basel Committee’s cryptoasset prudential standard, scheduled for implementation from Jan. 1, 2026, subject to local adoption, has also created what the report calls a “structural divide” for institutional adoption. Group 2 assets, including Bitcoin and Ether, face near-100% capital charges, making them economically difficult for banks to hold on the balance sheet, while Group 1 assets, such as tokenized traditional instruments and qualifying stablecoins, receive standard risk weighting. Related: Pierre Rochard warns US regulators over Bitcoin gap in Basel rewriteA CertiK research team spokesperson told Cointelegraph that banks managing digital assets under the oversight of regulators such as Singapore and the EU are already subject to this adjusted enforcement.Smart contract audit mandates address exploit landscapeCertiK said smart contract security assessments are increasingly being folded into licensing and compliance expectations across major markets, with security audits moving from voluntary best practice to statutory or quasi-statutory requirement across major jurisdictions within two years.Smart contract security regulator mandates. Source: CertiKThat push for mandatory audits comes as regulators grapple with identifying accountability in decentralized finance. A European Central Bank working paper published in March, for example, found that governance in major DeFi protocols remains highly concentrated, complicating efforts to determine who should fall under MiCA oversight.CertiK’s analysis of the top 100 exploited protocols found that 80% had never undergone a formal security audit before a breach, and those unaudited protocols accounted for 89.2% of total value lost. At the same time, the report says infrastructure compromises such as private key theft and access control failures drove 76% of 2025 losses by value, as the threat landscape moved beyond code exploits.The spokesperson said that current regulatory audit requirements are in line with Web2 frameworks and that authorities generally delegate identifying relevant threats to supervised entities. While regulators may require yearly testing or various operational resilience efforts, such as source code reviews, they seldom prescribe a specific scope to avoid restricting the reach of such evaluations, they said.Magazine: Singapore isn’t a ‘crypto hub’ — it’s something better: StraitsX CEOCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Crypto trading platform OKX has added BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized US Treasury fund to its collateral framework with Standard Chartered, allowing eligible institutional and VIP clients to use the yield-bearing asset as trading margin while holding it off-exchange with the bank.The arrangement, announced in a Tuesday release shared with Cointelegraph, lets institutional and VIP clients post BUIDL as collateral held with Standard Chartered while trading on OKX Middle East, or deposit it directly on the exchange. The companies described it as the first globally systemically important (G-SIB) bank-backed off-exchange tokenized collateral framework. It also adds to a broader industry push to turn tokenized real-world assets into working market infrastructure. By allowing a yield-bearing fund to be used as collateral while remaining in regulated custody, the framework shows how companies are trying to make tokenized cash-like assets more useful in day-to-day trading and risk management.A key driver behind that shift is a simple inefficiency in how trading capital has traditionally worked. Cash posted as margin on crypto exchanges has typically sat idle, earning little or no yield while still being locked up as collateral. By converting that cash into a tokenized money market fund backed by US Treasuries and repurchase agreements, the structure allows institutions to keep their capital productive even while it is being used to support trading activity.The framework builds on OKX’s existing collateral mirroring program with Standard Chartered, launched last year to support the exchange’s European expansion. What’s new, Rifad Mahasneh, CEO of OKX Middle East, North Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States, told Cointelegraph, is demonstrating how tokenized assets can be actively used within trading systems rather than held passively. Related: OKX accelerates US push with BitGo off-exchange settlementBUIDL is treated as fungible with USD, USDC and other dollar-denominated stablecoins within OKX’s margin system, he said, while clients retain full ownership of the underlying asset and its yield. OKX targets institutional edge in tokenized collateralThe move deepens OKX’s competition with exchanges like Binance, which has also integrated tokenized treasury products, including BlackRock’s BUIDL and Franklin Templeton’s BENJI fund, into off-exchange collateral frameworks. OKX adds BlackRock’s tokenized Treasury fund to Standard Chartered custody program: Source: OKXMahasneh said the framework is now live for eligible institutional and VIP clients through OKX Middle East, with plans to expand based on jurisdiction and demand. He described the setup as unique in combining regulated custody, a major asset manager and a G-SIB partner, adding that OKX is “the only global digital asset exchange” to establish this type of framework.BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, tokenized by Securitize, invests in cash, US Treasury bills and repos, with yield distributed onchain, according to the release. Standard Chartered serves as the off-exchange custodian, holding client collateral separately from OKX’s own assets while the exchange manages real-time margining and liquidation processes through its internal risk systems, Mahasneh said. He said the structure aligns with traditional finance standards, though he did not detail margin call procedures during market stress.Magazine: Bitcoin will not hit $1M by 2030, says veteran trader Peter BrandtCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Tokyo-listed Metaplanet has issued 8 billion Japanese yen ($50 million) in zero-interest bonds to EVO FUND, with the proceeds earmarked for additional Bitcoin purchases, according to a Thursday filing.According to the filing, the 20th series of ordinary bonds matures in April 2027 and is unsecured, giving Metaplanet another source of zero-interest funding as it expands one of the largest corporate Bitcoin treasuries in the market.EVO FUND, a Cayman-based fund at the core of Evolution Financial Group, specializes in structured financings for digital asset-focused companies and is the main subscriber to Metaplanet’s zero-interest bonds used to fund Bitcoin purchases.Under the terms of the deal, the bonds will be redeemed at par on maturity, though EVO FUND can request early redemption with five business days’ notice. Metaplanet may also redeem part or all of the bonds if it completes future financings with the same investor.Related: Nakamoto sells $20 million in Bitcoin and cuts Metaplanet stakeThe latest raise extends a financing strategy Metaplanet has used repeatedly as it leans further into its Bitcoin treasury model, tapping capital markets rather than relying solely on operating cash flow.Metaplanet’s share price was down around 3.69% at the time of writing, according to data from Yahoo! Finance.Metaplanet expands Bitcoin holdings with debt-funded strategyThe latest raise follows an aggressive first quarter in which Metaplanet added 5,075 BTC, lifting its total holdings to about 40,177 BTC and cementing its position as the third-largest publicly listed Bitcoin holder.Metaplanet Issues $50 million in 0% Ordinary Bonds to Purchase Additional $BTC. Source: MetaplanetThat expansion has made the company one of the clearer examples in Asia of a public firm using debt and equity financing to accumulate Bitcoin as a treasury asset, drawing frequent comparisons to MicroStrategy’s balance sheet strategy in the United States.With the new issuance, Metaplanet is signaling that it intends to keep buying even after a volatile stretch for crypto markets, with BTC trading around $77,000 in recent sessions.The company said in the filing that the bond sale is expected to have only a minimal impact on its consolidated results for fiscal 2026, and that, if “any material impact” on its financial performance or other matters arises, it will provide an update promptly.Magazine: AI-driven hacks could kill DeFi — unless projects act nowCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.