The Polish government is planning a crackdown on Bitcoin amid growing concerns that the digital currency is being used for money laundering and tax evasion.
The Council of Ministers has adopted a draft law to regulate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to bring them in line with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financial legislation.
The new Polish act lists the entities subject to this regulation, which are referred to as “obligated institutions”. The list of these entities is long, and does not explicitly refer to cryptocurrencies, but it appears that Bitcoin exchanges and other entities that facilitate the trade of digital coins as part of their main business can be regarded as obligated institutions.
Under the AML-wide regulation, online platforms where bitcoins are traded will be required to carry out due diligence on customers and report suspicious transactions. The government has introduced amendments to the anti-money-laundering directive to ensure cryptocurrency firms’ activities are overseen by national authorities.
The rules are expected to come into effect in the next three months, but there was a suggestion that some articles should apply after 18 months from the date of its publication in the Journal of Laws.
Extending AML regulations to cryptocurrency activities is being considered in several countries around the world such as Australia and the UK, and already tracks the EU’s recent push to regulate Bitcoin.
(Photo: pixabay)
