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Estonia-Licensed Crypto Firms Blamed for €1 Billion in Damages
10.10.2023
Bad actors exploited Estonia’s once liberal licensing regime for crypto companies to defraud investors and commit other crimes, an investigative report claims. The authors say they discovered dozens of such cases, including scams and schemes for sanctions evasion and money laundering. Since Tallinn...
Nearly 400 Crypto Firms Lose Their Estonian Licenses Under New Rules
11.5.2023
The majority of crypto companies attracted by the once favorable Estonian regulations have either abandoned or lost their licenses. According to the latest numbers released by the Baltic nation’s anti-money laundering bureau, only 100 businesses are currently authorized to provide digital-asset...
Estonia, US Arrest 2 Suspects in $575 Million Crypto Fraud Scheme
23.11.2022
Law enforcement officers from Estonia and the United States have arrested two men for allegedly committing a large-scale cryptocurrency fraud. The Estonian nationals, who ran a crypto mining service and a fake virtual currency bank, laundered their proceeds, spent on cars and real estate,...
Estonia Issues First License to Crypto Service Provider Under New Regulation
25.9.2022
Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit has issued its first license to a crypto service provider under the country’s new regulatory framework that entered into force in March. “Striga Technology OÜ is the first entrepreneur, who is authorized for the first time to provide...
Upcoming AML Regulations in Estonia to Affect Cryptocurrency Industry
12.3.2022
Estonia is preparing to enforce a set of new anti-money laundering rules that will stiffen requirements for crypto companies operating under Estonian license. The changes come amid concerns that Russia may use crypto to evade western sanctions and an ongoing audit of the Baltic nation’s...
Estonia Offers to Share Crypto Experience With US to Identify Best Practices for Digital Assets
11.1.2022
Estonian Finance Minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus has offered to share her country’s experience in regulating cryptocurrencies with the U.S. in a discussion with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Estonia Offers to Share Crypto Experience With the US U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen...
Estonia Clarifies Upcoming Regulations, Will Not Ban Crypto Holding or Trading
4.1.2022
The government of Estonia has approved legislation tailored to improve oversight of its crypto sector which expanded rapidly due to favorable regulations and business climate. The new law, which is yet to be adopted, will introduce stricter requirements for service providers without preventing...
Estonia Considers Revoking Crypto Licenses as Government Mulls Tougher Regulations
16.10.2021
Authorities in Estonia are working on new legislation expected to stiffen the rules for the country’s cryptocurrency sector. The Baltic nation’s regulator for the industry is considering whether to revoke previously issued crypto licenses and restart authorization from scratch....
Crypto Exchange Bitbay Passes Audit Under Estonia’s Tougher New Regulations
1.10.2021
Bitbay has become a fully licensed cryptocurrency exchange in Estonia which introduced stricter rules for the industry last year. The European trading platform has recently passed an independent audit that confirmed its “solvency, security and fiscal responsibility.” Audit Examines...
'Stolen' Game Aeon Must Die Returns, Despite Unresolved Allegations Of Abuse And Corruption
19.8.2021
Last year the game Aeon Must Die, highlighted during a PlayStation showcase, disappeared after a group of former developers accused Estonian studio Limestone Games of “unbearable work conditions with endless crunch, harassment, abuse, corruption, and manipulation.”Read more
Digital Euro to Handle ‘Almost Unlimited’ Payments, Estonian Central Bank Says After Test
28.7.2021
A blockchain-based digital euro would be highly scalable allowing it to process an almost unlimited number of payments, the central bank of Estonia has concluded following a recent experiment. Central banks from several euro area countries and the ECB participated in the test, which also professed...
Estonia’s Government Still Wants to Implement Stricter Rules for Licensing Crypto Firms
9.2.2021
The new administration in Estonia is still planning to pursue an agenda to tighten rules for companies dealing with cryptocurrencies. The Ministry of Finance is looking to strengthen anti-laundering measures within the context of a major money-laundering scandal that involved Danske Bank. Estonia...
Estonia Revokes More Than 1,000 Crypto Firms’ Licenses This Year
15.12.2020
Over 1,000 cryptocurrency firms’ licenses have been revoked in Estonia this year as the country tightens the oversight of the crypto industry amid heightened money-laundering concerns. 1,000+ Crypto Firms Lost Their Licenses This Year The Estonian Ministry of Finance revealed Friday that...
Estonia Revokes 500 Crypto Firms’ Licenses After $220 Billion Money Laundering Scandal
13.6.2020
Estonia has canceled 500 cryptocurrency firms’ licenses, about 30% of the total, as part of a crackdown on illicit financial flows following a $220 billion money-laundering scandal involving Danske Bank. Regulators are concerned that bitcoin exchanges and other crypto companies might...