KuCoin EU hires anti-money laundering talent to appease Austrian regulator

KuCoin was ordered by Austria’s FMA to halt business in the EU because of a shortfall in AML and compliance staff.

What to know:

• KuCoin EU hired AML and legal veteran Carmen Kleinhans as anti-money laundering officer (AMLO).
• Other senior hires include Austrian compliance veterans Stephan Klinger and Bernd Träxler.
• KuCoin EU Managing Director Sabina Liu was unable to provide a timeline for when the Austrian regulator would allow the exchange to resume operations.

The European arm of global cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has hired anti-money laundering (AML) and compliance expertise in a bid to appease its regulator, which recently demanded the exchange halt business in Europe due to a staffing shortfall.

KuCoin EU, which holds a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from Austria’s FMA, appointed Carmen Kleinhans as anti-money laundering officer (AMLO), alongside the expansion of its broader AML function, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.

The exchange also hired Austrian compliance veterans Stephan Klinger and Bernd Träxler as deputy anti-money laundering officers.

KuCoin EU Managing Director Sabina Liu said the exchange had “communicated fully” with the FMA when the action happened in February.

“We always maintain a very transparent, open dialog with them, and the other way around as well. They have been very honest, transparent and very supportive of us,” Liu said in an interview. “Since February, we have been looking to strengthen the whole compliance team, making many appointments. So it is quite a large team now.”

KuCoin has had a rough rise of late, having been barred from the U.S. after a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) order and being slapped by Dubai’s VARA regulator for operating without the appropriate license.

Liu was unable to provide a timeline for when the Austrian regulator would allow KUCoin EU to resume operations in Europe. “I think everything needs to be in discussion with the FMA,” she said.

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