Argentina is implementing a national registration for cryptocurrency exchanges to maintain market integrity, indicating tighter control over the rapidly growing industry.
According to a government notification, the Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registry has been created by the National Securities Commission (CNV) of Argentina, and approximately one hundred individuals and legal entities have applied.
New applications from organizations looking to provide cryptocurrency trading services in the nation will be accepted by the registry; however, applicants must wait for registration confirmation before starting a business.
According to the commission, 35 out of the 85 requests from legal entities that have been received since the registry’s introduction have been properly registered thus far; four of those requests are from international platforms that are not identified.
Entities that have complied with the requirement to submit registration requests to the registry will be allowed to carry on with their operations in Argentina, according to the notification, .
At the same time, non-compliant companies will be prohibited from carrying out any activity until they have registered. In an effort to stop the funding of terrorism and money laundering, Argentina first announced mandatory registry requirements for the cryptocurrency industry in late March.
CNV chair Roberto E. Silva stated that the nation “worked against the clock to advance compliance.” Despite these steps, the local cryptocurrency community has voiced fears about more government regulation.
Co-founder of the Money On Chain protocol and member of the Argentine NGO Directive Manuel Ferrari attacked the register in an interview with Forbes, calling it a “terrible idea” and asserting that Bitcoin is “money, not a security.”
As previously reported, an increasing number of Argentinians are seeking financial solace in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which has increased both genuine transactions and fraudulent activity.
Therefore, the CNV law tries to reduce these risks without impeding technological advancement in the cryptocurrency industry.