Qatar Bans All Cryptocurrency in QFC

In a surprising turn of events, The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) announced that it would ban all cryptocurrency-related activities including cryptocurrency exchanges within the sector. The news comes as a shock as Qatar has was seen as a leader in terms of blockchain adoption in the region. Now, government officials are voicing concerns over money laundering and terrorist financing as a means to stifle local crypto activities.

News of the crypto ban came via a report by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA). In the now-infamous report, the QFCRA stated that all services involving cryptocurrencies are now illegal within the exclusive economic zone. Specifically listed in the report are critical components to the market. These components include crypto to crypto trades and crypto to fiat exchanges. Also, the report directly lists virtual asset services including those that facilitate the trading, custody, and issuance of virtual assets in any form or manner.

Security Tokens Safe

Interestingly, the report doesn’t ban security tokens. In fact, these unique financial instruments remain unaffected by the new legislation. The report states that financial instruments regulated by the QFCRA, the Qatar Central Bank, or the Qatar Financial Markets Authority are exempt from the ban. This makes sense from Qatar's standpoint because these tokens undergo full AML and KYC verification.

Discussing the decision, Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al-Thani, the governor of Qatar’s Central Bank pointed to a few key points as to why the regulations make sense. He stated that a correlated effort needed to be put forth to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. He believes that only a stricter and effective regulatory and legislative framework can accomplish this task.

Qatar Central Bank

It appears as if this latest maneuver is actually just a part of Qatar's overall new approach towards combating money laundering. Recently, the country instituted wide-sweeping AML legislation. All of these laws seek to curb those attempting to hide money from the government.

The Qatar Financial Centre – QFC

The QFC is a special jurisdiction within the country designed to spur economic growth. Companies that call the QFC home get access to a host of exclusive benefits. These benefits include reduced legal, business, tax, and regulatory infrastructure. In this way, Qatar seeks to attract businesses and facilitate economic development moving forward.

Tighter Regulations Globally

Qatar's decision to add more regulations to the crypto sector mirrors that of numerous other countries. Just recently, US lawmakers proposed new legislation to bring much of the crypto market under the jurisdiction of regulators. If the new bills receive approval, there would be wide-sweeping implications for the industry.

Additionally, EU Lawmakers have come up with new legislation as well. On January 10th, 2020, the European Union (EU) will initiate the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD). This new law requires that all digital asset platforms and even wallet providers verify and record customer identities.

Qatar Steps Backwards

As Qatar attempts to gain more control over the use and trading of digital assets within its border, it may find that these new regulations have an adverse effect. Cryptocurrencies, many of which are designed to function anonymously, are not so easily regulated and monitored. For now, Qatar will see exactly what it takes to police the digital realm as they start the enforcement of their new crypto legislation.