Austria’s financial regulator has ordered KuCoin EU to stop onboarding new EU users and to appoint both primary and deputy AML and sanctions compliance officers. The directive cites compliance lapses and requires strengthened governance for anti-money-laundering and sanctions controls.
Newly released DOJ emails suggest Jeffrey Epstein may have invested $3.2 million in Coinbase in 2014 and sold part of that stake for $15 million in 2018. The disclosures could renew scrutiny of investor vetting and fund provenance in crypto.
Uzbek authorities arrested a man for allegedly transferring more than $1 million via international crypto exchanges, reportedly including Binance. The case highlights enforcement of Uzbekistan’s rule that exchanges must be authorized to operate locally.
South Korean crypto exchange Korbit has agreed to pay almost $2 million and received an official warning after authorities found extensive lapses in its anti-money laundering and customer verification controls. The enforcement action highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of local crypto platforms.
India’s Financial Intelligence Unit has directed crypto exchanges to require selfie verification and penny-drop bank checks for new users to bolster anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing controls. The move tightens onboarding standards and raises practical and privacy questions for platforms and customers.
Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty this week in a New York court after U.S. authorities seized him in Caracas, and the case has prompted fresh questions about whether his regime used cryptocurrencies to move money or evade sanctions.
Forty-nine crypto exchanges have registered with India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) under the country's new anti-money laundering framework, as regulators levy INR 2.8 billion in penalties and warn that offshore platforms will be blocked if they remain non-compliant.
Brazil's Federal Police executed more than 24 search and seizure warrants in Operation Kryptolaundry, dismantling a crypto money-laundering network linked to Glaidson Acácio dos Santos, the "Bitcoin Pharaoh". Authorities say the group moved about $500 million in illicit funds since 2021.
FinCEN fined Paxful $3.5 million after finding the platform enabled over $500 million in illicit cryptocurrency transactions due to failures in anti–money laundering compliance.
Europol announced coordinated December raids that dismantled a €700 million “crypto spiral,” disrupting widespread illicit flows across Europe. Authorities say the operation now moves into an enforcement phase focused on asset tracing and recovery.