UK Regulators Enforce ‘Travel Rule’ For Crypto, Requiring Firms To Unmask Transaction Parties

According to a recent press release, UK regulators have taken a solid step towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the country’s crypto market. The UK has finally implemented the ‘Travel Rule’ in crypto, mandating crypto firms to reveal transaction parties, ensuring that both senders and recipients are no longer shrouded in anonymity.

‘Travel Rule’ Is Set To Take Place From 1 September

Starting 1 September 2023, UK-based crypto asset businesses will be mandated to gather, verify, and provide information related to crypto asset transfers under the ‘Travel Rule.’ This move comes after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) urged global jurisdictions to adopt the Travel Rule quickly, aiming to standardize crypto transaction practices with other financial sectors.

In June 2023, the FATF pointed out problems because different countries were taking different amounts of time to start using the Travel Rule. So, the UK worked with businesses to give clear instructions on how to follow this rule, setting an example for other countries.

Firms in the UK are expected to strictly follow the Travel Rule, be responsible for its compliance, and keep track of its adoption worldwide. When dealing with countries not using the Travel Rule, UK crypto companies should check if they can get the needed information, gather and save this data as per rules, and assess the risk before making crypto assets available.

The ‘Travel Rule’ is the UK regulators’ strategic move to combat illegal activities. By ensuring that every transaction can be traced back to its origin and destination, the rule makes it exponentially challenging for malefactors to exploit the system or even launder money. 

New Crypto Rules Permit Transfers To Non-Compliant Nations

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stated on Thursday that the new crypto anti-money laundering regulations wouldn’t entirely halt transfers to nations not adhering to global standards.

The UK’s strict regulations, including advertising rules, have already impacted crypto operations for firms like PayPal, even though global money-laundering measures aren’t fully in place yet.

While the government aims to position the U.K. as a crypto center, tighter regulations, especially in crypto advertising, and challenges that about 86% of companies can’t overcome, have made many in the industry bearish on achieving this goal.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) established the travel rule to prevent the use of crypto for hiding illegal funds. This regulation has already been adopted in regions like the European Union.

DeFi platforms and decentralized exchanges currently fall outside these regulations, allowing users to maintain anonymity. The FCA has not yet clarified how these platforms will be treated under the new rules. This leaves a potential loophole, as users could turn to decentralized P2P exchanges to bypass these regulations when selling crypto assets.