Hong Kong authorities remind banks not to be too hasty in rejecting digital asset clients

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Increasing familiarity with virtual assets clients volition marque Anti-Money Laundering measures easier with time, and the firms should beryllium treated reasonably, the HKMA says.

Hong Kong authorities punctual   banks not to beryllium  excessively  hasty successful  rejecting integer  plus  clients

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One size does not acceptable each erstwhile it comes to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) reminded banks connected April 27. Banks should not marque it unnecessarily hard to unfastened accounts. 

There has been a question of companies opening slope accounts successful Hong Kong to instrumentality vantage of concern opportunities, HKMA lawman CEO Arthur Yuen wrote, and “comments” astir the difficulties successful the process person ensued. Yuen tied the accrued enactment to the extremity of the pandemic.

While carrying retired AML owed diligence, banks “should besides dainty customers reasonably and heighten entree to basal banking services by businesses done transparent, tenable and businesslike procedures,” Yuen wrote. Furthermore:

“There is nary ineligible and regulatory request prohibiting banks successful Hong Kong from providing banking services to virtual assets (VA) related entities.”

To the contrary, the Hong Kong authorities has a argumentation of promoting development of the virtual plus sector, and there is simply a regulatory framework successful spot to support investors. While immoderate virtual plus businesses airs higher AML risks than others, the Hong Kong banking manufacture volition summation a amended knowing of the assemblage implicit time. Therefore:

“We expect that regulated virtual plus work providers (VASPs) volition beryllium capable to successfully use for a slope relationship done a tenable process.”

Yuen promised that a circular containing guidance and champion practices would beryllium released and that a roundtable would beryllium held “for the banking manufacture and VASPs to speech views” connected April 28.

— Jason Choi (@mrjasonchoi) April 27, 2023

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Hong Kong is making a propulsion to become a satellite crypto hub and is seen by immoderate arsenic the apt benefactor of the United States’ progressively virulent anti-crypto crackdown. The portion was the archetypal jurisdiction successful Asia to supply entree to crypto exchange-traded funds. A connection to licence retail crypto exchanges is successful its consultation period and guidelines for exchanges are expected successful May.

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