Core Regulatory Concepts
- Regulation: Rules governing blockchain and crypto activities.
- Compliance: Adhering to legal and regulatory requirements.
- KYC (Know Your Customer): Verifying customer identities.
- AML (Anti-Money Laundering): Preventing illegal financial activities.
- CFT (Countering the Financing of Terrorism): Preventing terrorist financing.
- Sanctions: Restrictions on transactions with certain entities.
- Licensing: Obtaining permission to operate in a jurisdiction.
- Registration: Formalizing a business with regulatory authorities.
- Reporting: Submitting required information to regulators.
- Audit: Reviewing operations for compliance.
Regulatory Bodies
- SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission): US securities regulator.
- CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission): US derivatives regulator.
- FCA (Financial Conduct Authority): UK financial regulator.
- FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority): Swiss financial regulator.
- MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore): Singapore’s financial regulator.
- ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority): EU financial regulator.
- FATF (Financial Action Task Force): Global AML watchdog.
- IRS (Internal Revenue Service): US tax authority.
- OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development): International economic organization.
- G20: A group of 20 major economies.
Compliance Frameworks
- FATF Recommendations: Global standards for AML/CFT.
- Travel Rule: A requirement to share transaction information.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): EU data privacy law.
- PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2): EU regulation for payment services.
- MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive): EU financial market regulation.
- DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act): EU regulation for financial services.
- CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act): US data privacy law.
- SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act): US corporate governance law.
- Basel III: International banking regulations.
- ISO Standards: International standards for various industries.
Crypto-Specific Regulations
- Security Token: A token representing ownership or investment.
- Utility Token: A token with specific use cases within a platform.
- Stablecoin: A cryptocurrency pegged to a stable asset.
- ICO (Initial Coin Offering): A fundraising method using tokens.
- STO (Security Token Offering): A regulated token offering.
- IEO (Initial Exchange Offering): A token sale conducted on an exchange.
- IDO (Initial DEX Offering): A token sale conducted on a decentralized exchange.
- Custody: Safeguarding crypto assets.
- Taxation: Tax implications of holding or trading crypto.
- Whitelisting: Allowing only specific addresses to transact.
Compliance Tools and Practices
- Transaction Monitoring: Tracking transactions for suspicious activity.
- Risk Assessment: Evaluating potential compliance risks.
- Compliance Program: A plan for meeting regulatory requirements.
- Policy Development: Creating internal compliance policies.
- Training: Educating employees on compliance.
- Due Diligence: Investigating business partners and customers.
- Recordkeeping: Maintaining records for regulatory review.
- Reporting Systems: Tools for submitting required reports.
- Internal Audit: Reviewing operations for compliance.
- External Audit: An independent review of compliance.