U.S. Treasury Department Proposal an “Existential Threat to Bitcoin”
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U.S. Treasury Department Proposal an “Existential Threat to Bitcoin”

THELOGICALINDIAN - Reportedly the Trump administering is drafting a new law on selfhosted crypto wallets

The CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, shared details of an declared angle from the U.S. Department of Treasury, which experts think “could be an existential blackmail to Bitcoin.” 

More Surveillance of Bitcoin Users

The approachable Trump administering is planning to apparatus a binding KYC aphorism for self-hosted Bitcoin wallets. 

Self-hosted wallets accommodate open-source crypto wallets like Bitcoin Core and Metamask and extend to DeFi, accouterments devices, and cardboard wallets. Armstrong abundant in the Twitter thread: 

“This proposed adjustment would, we think, crave banking institutions like Coinbase to verify the recipient/owner of the self-hosted wallet, accession anecdotic advice on that affair afore a abandonment could be beatific to that self-hosted wallet.”

In June 2019, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issued new guidelines for basic asset account providers (VASPs), which crave crypto businesses to access users’ claimed advice afore they can accelerate and accept agenda assets. 

Compliance with KYC and AML rules on Bitcoin on-ramps and exchanges are broadly implemented beyond the industry. The governments accept affected abounding crypto exchanges to accomplish KYC mandatory for registration. Thus, accept admission to transaction capacity of the barter users. 

However, self-hosted Bitcoin wallets that accept remained bearding accomplish it difficult to accomplish the latest biking rule. Moreover, over 500,000 Bitcoin has confused off exchanges this year, authoritative it difficult for authorities to accumulate track. 

The regulators acutely appeal added adherence to the FATF guidelines by acute advice about all crypto wallets, not aloof platforms like Coinbase.

The Netherlands has already implemented a agnate rule citation antecedence with their Sanction Act of 1970. 

Regulatory Concern Pauses Bull Rull 

Crypto Twitter bidding strong concerns about the force of the situation. If implemented, it would bassinet aloofness and anticipate any amount of anonymity of a person’s Bitcoin wealth. 

Angel Investor, Balaji Srinivasan, alleged for attrition to the proposal. He said

“The proposed new anti-crypto adjustment by [Steven Mnuchin] is a anatomy of banking disenfranchisement. It harms bodies who abridgement ID, added expands the surveillance regime, and sets up added honeypots for hackers. It charge be resisted vigorously.”

The move is additionally apparent as the leading account of Bitcoin’s amount bead this morning. Nevertheless, Jeremy Allaire, the co-founder of Circle, wrote: 

“Market acknowledgment to authoritative assurance about accessible blockchain admission is aureate — there are smart, affianced bodies in Treasury who appetite to assignment with the industry to abode risks while attention accessible networks and innovation.”

Bitcoin led the industry’s losses with a 13.09% bead to lows of $16,320. It is currently alteration easily at $16,884.21.