Cuento de Siôn Geschwindt
El Parlamento de la UE acordó la semana pasada el primer conjunto completo de reglas del mundo para regular la transferencia de criptomonedas como Bitcoin, ya que busca tomar medidas enérgicas contra el lavado de dinero y las transferencias ilegales en el bloque.
A partir de 2024, todas las transferencias de criptomonedas, independientemente del monto, estarán cubiertas por la llamada “regla de viaje”: la información sobre el origen del activo y su beneficiario deberá viajar con la transacción y almacenarse en ambos lados de la transferencia. .
The regulation requires firms that want to issue, trade, and safeguard crypto-assets, tokenised assets, and stablecoins in the 27-country bloc to obtain a licence.
“Recent events have confirmed the urgent need for imposing rules which will better protect Europeans who have invested in these assets, and prevent the misuse of the crypto industry for the purposes of money laundering and financing of terrorism,” said Swedish finance minister Elisabeth Svantesson.
MiCA — as the new regulation is known — is designed to ensure that crypto transfers within the EU can be traced in much the same way as ordinary bank transfers. Furthermore, they are meant to protect investors by increasing transparency and putting in place a comprehensive framework for issuers and service providers including compliance with the anti-money laundering rules.
The new rules also require crypto-asset service providers to share mandatory information with tax authorities through an automatic exchange. However, they do not apply to person-to-person transfers conducted without a provider or among providers acting on their own behalf.
Additionally, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) will be given powers to step in and ban or restrict crypto platforms if they are seen to not properly protect investors, or threaten market integrity or financial stability.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin trace transactions via a blockchain record. While all transactions are recorded in a publicly-accessible ledger, they can only be traced back to a user’s public key, not their real-world personal information. This pseudo-anonymity is what drew many to invest in crypto in the first place, but it poses a number of risks.
Actualmente, cuando se trata de criptoactivos, las personas no están cubiertas por las normas de protección al consumidor de la UE y corren el riesgo de perder dinero. Además, la UE teme que el uso generalizado de las criptomonedas pueda generar inestabilidad financiera, manipulación del mercado y delitos financieros.
En 2022, la cantidad de criptomonedas obtenidas ilegalmente o para que grupos o individuos las utilicen con fines ilícitos, incluido el terrorismo y la trata de personas, superó los 20.000 millones de dólares, según Chainalysis, una plataforma que proporciona datos sobre la tecnología blockchain.
La tecnología también utiliza grandes cantidades de electricidad: se estima que el consumo de energía de bitcoin es igual al de un país pequeño.
‘Primeras reglas criptográficas integrales del mundo’
So far, policies worldwide have ranged from ignoring to fully banning the use of cryptocurrencies. The UK has outlined a phased approach, starting with stablecoins and broadening out to other crypto-assets later on, but there is no firm timeframe. Meanwhile, the US has taken somewhat of a ‘case by case’ approach to the matter like prosecuting individuals or working to recover ransomed funds.
In a departure from the global trend, MiCA is slated to be the world’s first comprehensive set of rules to regulate crypto-assets. This is part of a package of legislative proposals to strengthen the EU’s anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing rules, presented by the Commission in 2021. The package also includes a proposal to create a new EU authority to fight money laundering.
MiCA also addresses environmental concerns surrounding crypto, with firms forced to disclose their energy consumption as well as the impact of digital assets on the environment.
Rather than scaring away crypto firms, MiCA is expected to attract both startups and prominent businesses, setting the stage for more healthy competition.
Según Reuters , las criptoempresas dicen que dan la bienvenida a la “certeza en la regulación”, presionando a los países para que copien las reglas de la UE y a los reguladores para que presenten normas globales para la actividad transfronteriza.
Brinda Paul, directora de cumplimiento de la firma australiana de criptoactivos Banxa, le dijo a CryptoPotato que cree que MiCA “establece un alto estándar para la protección del consumidor”, lo que creará un criptomercado más confiable y “beneficia enormemente a los clientes”.
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