Coinbase, the prominent digital asset exchange, has been fined £3.5 million (approximately US$4.5 million) by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to adhere to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. This marks a significant regulatory action in the UK against a firm involved in crypto asset trading.
The fine was levied on CB Payments Limited (CBPL), a subsidiary of Coinbase, which is an Authorized Electronic Money Institution (AEMI) in the UK but not registered to undertake crypto asset activities. The FCA’s enforcement came after it found that CBPL had onboarded nearly four million customers since 2020, including over 13,000 classified as high-risk, despite a voluntary requirement to avoid such actions.
This decision follows a 2020 inspection by the FCA, which identified substantial weaknesses in CBPL’s financial crime controls. The FCA’s subsequent findings indicated that CBPL allowed these high-risk customers to deposit and transact significant sums, roughly totalling US$226 million, through other Coinbase entities, heightening the risk of money laundering.
The FCA’s enforcement director, Therese Chambers, emphasized the severe risks of laundering in the crypto sector and warned that the regulatory body would not tolerate insufficient controls. The initial penalty for CBPL could have been higher, but it was reduced due to the firm’s eventual compliance with FCA directives.
This is not Coinbase’s first encounter with regulatory challenges. Similar issues have arisen in the Netherlands and the United States, where Coinbase faced penalties for various compliance failures.
As Coinbase navigates these legal hurdles, it also announced strategic board changes, including the addition of Chris Lehane, a veteran Democratic strategist, which suggests an intensified effort to manage regulatory challenges and enhance its governance.
With regulatory scrutiny intensifying around crypto asset operations, this incident with the FCA underscores the ongoing challenges companies like Coinbase face as they strive to align their business practices with regulatory expectations in the rapidly evolving digital currency landscape.
