EU lawmakers push for stricter rules on anonymous crypto transfers
The legislation was one of several laws designed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, receiving 99 votes in favor, eight votes against, and six abstentions.
European Union lawmakers have adopted new draft legislation that would impose a 1000 euro ($1,083) cap on anonymous crypto asset transfers in a bid to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
According to a European Parliament statement published on March 28, the limit would apply to a crypto asset transfer in cases when a customer can’t be identified. Cash transactions will also be capped at 7,000 euros ($7,585).
The AML/CTF package is set to be confirmed in a plenary session in April. After that, negotiations on the final shape of the bills will begin, it said.
Aujourd’hui a eu lieu un vote important au @Europarl_EN dans le domaine de la lutte contre le blanchiment d’argent et le financement du terrorisme.
Cela concerne notamment les #NFT et les plateformes de cryptos. Thread pic.twitter.com/qP95NsQ3Cw
— Aurore Lalucq (@AuroreLalucq) March 28, 2023
It was noted that the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), which was formed in June 2022, would eventually enforce the rules.
“For us, it is important the new authority cooperates very closely with national supervisors and that it directly supervises the riskiest crypto asset service providers and companies in the financial sector that operate in several member states,” said Emil Radev, co-rapporteur for the AMLA.
The text relating to the use of anonymous instruments, including crypto assets, was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers — “with 99 votes to 8 and 6 abstentions.”
The newly adopted texts indicate that the introduction of the bill will require a greater level of transparency and compliance, particularly from crypto-asset managers. It noted:
“Entities, such as banks, assets and crypto assets managers, real and virtual estate agents and high-level professional football clubs, will be required to verify their customers’ identity, what they own and who controls the company.”
It was also noted that these industries will need to establish specific types of risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing within their business area and relay this relevant information to a centralized registry.
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This comes after the European Banking Federation (EBF) released a paper on March 28 detailing its vision for the digital money ecosystem of the future, and the retail digital euro in particular.
The EBF proposed a three-tiered model for the digital euro, including a European Central Bank role and two industry levels — the first to interact with the single Euro Payments Area and an “Industry Level B” that would be subsequently developed and operated by the private sector.
In related news, the final vote on the European Union’s set of crypto rules, known as the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, was recently deferred to April 2023.
This is not the first time European lawmakers have rescheduled the procedure, having previously pushed it back from November 2022 to February 2023.
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