KuCoin EU Ordered to Halt New EU Onboarding Over Compliance Lapses
Austria’s financial regulator has told KuCoin EU to stop bringing new EU customers onto the platform and to name both a primary and deputy anti-money-laundering officer as well as a primary and deputy sanctions compliance officer. The order, issued in response to identified compliance lapses, forces the exchange’s EU arm to shore up its governance and formalize responsibilities for AML and sanctions screening.
The move matters because it directly limits KuCoin EU’s growth in the bloc and signals tougher enforcement by EU regulators on crypto firms that fall short on AML and sanctions controls. Market participants and users should expect closer scrutiny of onboarding practices industry-wide, and the directive could influence other national regulators as they assess exchanges’ readiness to meet evolving compliance standards.