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With New Regulations, Europe’s Crypto Companies May Be Running Out of Options

European crypto companies are finding themselves in a changing regulatory environment. The new realities they have to deal with stem from the fifth edition of the European Union’s anti-money laundering directive. AMLD5 introduces stricter customer due diligence requirements and some in the industry have realized their business models, based on key principles of the crypto space, are hardly sustainable under the new rules.

Also read: EU Countries Commence Crypto Regulations as Mandated by New Directive

Netherlands to Introduce Licensing When New Directive Requires Only Registration

Although the amendments had to be transposed into national law by Jan. 10, 2020, member-states are at different stages of their implementation. The approach to complying with the Pan-European directive also varies between countries with some governments opting to expand their regulatory frameworks beyond what Brussels requires at this point. Several EU nations have indicated this is the direction they want to move in and the Netherlands is one of them.

With New Regulations, Europe’s Crypto Companies May Be Running Out of Options
Dutch Parliament

The new Dutch legislation transposing AMLD5 is yet to enter into force. The bill prepared by the government is more restrictive than the directive requires, Luuk Strijers, CCO at Deribit, told news.Bitcoin.com. The Amsterdam-based crypto derivatives exchange announced recently its decision to relocate to Panama because the “new regulations would put too high barriers for the majority of traders, both – regulatory and cost-wise,” the company detailed on its website.

The Senate of the Netherlands is scheduled to discuss the new law on Jan. 28, 2020. Strijers pointed out that the draft framework has the characteristics of a licensing regime, while AMLD5 dictates the obligation to register instead of obtaining a license. “If Deribit falls under these new regulations, this would mean that we have to demand an extensive amount of information from

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