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Crypto firms paid $5.8b in fines in 2023, more than entire traditional finance system

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According to data, crypto and digital payments companies paid nearly $6 billion in fines in 2023 for shortcomings in customer checks and anti-money laundering controls violations. Crypto and fintech groups faced fines exceeding those of the entire traditional financial system in 2023, the Financial Times reports, citing data compiled by software provider Fenergo. Data revealed that the crypto industry paid a staggering $5.8 billion in fines last year, due to security shortcomings, anti-money laundering controls, and failures to uphold sanctions to address financial crime issues. The majority of the sum included a $4.3 billion penalty imposed on Binance, described by U.S. prosecutors as “one of the largest corporate penalties in U.S. history.” As noted by the report, the figure far surpassed the $835 million paid by traditional financial services groups, marking the lowest level in a decade. Fines for money laundering and other financial crime violations | Sourc...

Crypto firms must hold client assets in trust under new MAS laws

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced on Monday new rules for Crypto service providers which will require them to hold customer funds in a separate trust before the end of the year, as well as restrict lending and staking of retail customers’ tokens. In a press release, MAS said that the proposed crypto rules follow a public consultation from October 2022 that showed “broad support” for these regulations. Under the draft legislation, crypto firms will be required to reconcile customer assets daily, maintain proper records, and ensure constant access and operational controls to customers’ tokens. While crypto firms won’t be allowed to offer lending and staking of customer tokens, the practice will still be allowed for institutional and accredited investors. These new rules are intended to minimize the risk of misuse or loss of customer funds and make recovery easier in case of insolvency — problems that have become top of mind in Singapore following the collap...