News, standards updates and audit guidance for crypto-accounting teams, covering reporting, compliance and regulatory developments.
Dubai's VARA has published one of the most detailed crypto regulatory frameworks globally, with direct implications for VASP licensing, AML/CFT obligations, and asset segregation, plus a firm prohibition on privacy coins that accounting firms and compliance teams must absorb immediately.
Thailand SEC's 2026-2028 capital market strategy formalises digital assets as a legitimate asset class, opening crypto ETFs, derivatives, tokenized securities, and tightening AML/CFT enforcement simultaneously.
Three simultaneous regulatory moves, NYDFS-EBA stablecoin MOU, Hong Kong VATP and advisory licensing, and CFTC perpetual futures approvals, are reshaping the cross-border compliance obligations of stablecoin issuers, VASPs, and digital asset firms in 2026.
The MiCA VASP transition period closed on 1 July 2026: EU authorization is now a hard legal requirement, and non-compliant providers face immediate operational restrictions with direct consequences for their clients.
SECO updates SESAM sanctions database for ISIL and Al-Qaida designations on 22 May 2026, creating immediate screening obligations for Swiss financial intermediaries and crypto firms.
ESMA's first post-deadline MiCA register update adds 37 CASPs including Standard Chartered, reshaping EU crypto licensing obligations for accounting firms and CFOs.
Five on-chain financial crime typologies compliance teams at banks, fintechs, and custodians must embed in their AML/CFT frameworks now
Regulated crypto firms do not need a novel governance model: the three-lines-of-defense framework from traditional finance already meets what regulators expect globally, and firms that ignore it face personal liability.
A five-stage blockchain risk maturity framework helps financial institutions benchmark AML/CFT readiness and build toward strategic digital asset capability
Germany leads EU MiCA CASP authorization with 57 approvals as the July 1 deadline arrives, while five member states have zero licenses and Italy dominates the non-compliant register
The IRS merges the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Return Preparer Office into the new Tax Professional Management Office, effective June 28, over AICPA objections about conflicts of interest and credential confusion.
State-level crypto ATM bans accelerate across the US and Canada signals a federal crackdown, raising VASP licensing, AML, and operator liability questions for accounting and compliance teams
MiCA's 18-month transitional period closed on 1 July 2026 with a final wave of CASP authorizations across Italy, France, Spain, and Malta, leaving any unlicensed operator legally required to wind down EU activities immediately.
Finansinspektionen expands its 2026 periodic AML/CFT questionnaire to cover company organisation, cross-border service provision, and frozen assets, giving compliance officers and auditors a tighter data-collection brief.
FINMA publishes updated Hamas/PIJ sanctions under SR 946.231.09, requiring Swiss financial intermediaries to freeze assets and report affected relationships to SECO immediately
Sygnum Europe AG receives CASP authorization under MiCAR from the FMA Liechtenstein, signaling active enforcement of the EU crypto-asset licensing regime in the EEA
AFM flags that the revised DMFSD, effective 19 June 2026, imposes mandatory online-interface requirements on crypto-asset service providers and financial firms, banning dark patterns and one-sided steering in digital client journeys
First DORA ICT incident report reveals systemic cross-border exposure and AI-driven cybersecurity risks across EU financial entities
MiCA's 18-month transitional grace period expires 1 July 2026, making CASP authorization the only legal basis to serve EU crypto clients, with concentrated authorizations and strict ongoing obligations now live
Operational and compliance impact of Australia's FATF travel rule taking effect 1 July 2026 for exchanges and their accounting advisers
Sygnum Europe AG secures a MiCAR CASP licence from FMA Liechtenstein on 26 June 2026, signalling how regulated crypto firms are anchoring EU market access through EEA jurisdictions
HMRC's TRS risk-of-harm exemption process: what it means for trustees, agents, and compliance teams managing beneficial ownership disclosures
FinCEN formally launches a whistleblower tip portal covering BSA, sanctions, and money laundering violations, with financial awards for actionable submissions that lead to enforcement.
ESMA's post-transitional enforcement stance: what accounting firms and auditors advising EU crypto-asset service providers must act on now
