Commentary: Cryptocurrency land has become an unregulated casino

NEW YORK: There is a good reason why every civilised country in the world tightly regulates its financial system. 

The 2008 global financial crisis, after all, was largely the result of rolling back financial regulation. Crooks, criminals, and grifters are a fact of life, and no financial system can serve its proper purpose unless investors are protected from them.

Hence, there are regulations requiring that securities be registered, that money-servicing activities be licensed, that capital controls include “anti-money-laundering” (AML) and “know your customer” (KYC) provisions (to prevent tax evasion and other illicit financial flows), and that money managers serve their clients’ interests.

Because these laws and regulations protect investors and society, the compliance costs associated with them are reasonable and appropriate.