Governments Begin to Roll Out FATF’s Travel Rule Around the Globe

It’s been nearly eight months since the Financial Action Task Force issued its divisive crypto directives, establishing traditional banking regulations within the crypto sector. With the year-long adoption deadline fast approaching, how have the world’s regulatory authorities responded to the guidelines so far?

The FATF — an intergovernmental organization tasked with combating money laundering — found itself at the center of controversy last June after issuing its latest crypto guidance. The directive merged the cryptocurrency industry into existing banking policy, requiring firms to comply with the same requirements as traditional financial institutions.

Among the more notable directives is the travel rule: a requirement for “virtual asset service providers” or VASPs — including crypto exchanges and custodial wallet providers — to disclose customer information when facilitating a trade of $1,000 or higher. The requested information covers both the sender’s and…