Ireland is preparing to draft “urgent” cryptocurrency regulations ahead of upcoming European Union Anti-Money Laundering and terror financing standards.

Ireland’s Finance Minister, Jack Chambers, told the cabinet that urgent legislation would be drafted to update crypto regulations before the EU laws take effect on Dec. 30, the Irish Examiner reported on Oct. 16.

No details were shared about the new crypto legislation or when it might come into force. 

The EU’s “Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act” will enhance the powers of financial intelligence units, enabling them to suspend transactions. 

Screenshot from EU AML/CFT guidelines. Source: European Commission

It will also impose stricter reporting requirements for crypto exchanges and a 10,000 euro ($10,850) limit on cash payments. There will be more stringent monitoring of large transactions and new reporting requirements for high-value transactions. 

The legislative framework covers a range of areas posing risks, including crypto assets and crowdfunding. It also “complements other regulations such as Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation ( MiCA ),” the European Commission noted earlier. 

In September, Derville Rowland, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, said that the country aims to stay at the forefront of safe innovation through MiCA . 

She said that crypto regulations were essential for Europe to become a global leader in adapting and adopting new technologies. 

The EU’s MiCA regulations — separate from its AML/CFT act — came into effect in June 2023.

Related: Crypto dot com gains approval from Ireland’s central bank

“It is important that Ireland, as a small, open economy with a thriving financial services industry, is an active participant in preventing its financial system from being used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes,” said the Central Bank of Ireland. 

As of July, the Central Bank of Ireland had approved 15 virtual asset service providers. These included Gemini, Ripple, Paysafe, MoonPay and Coinbase, which agreed to delist non-compliant stablecoins from its European platform.

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