SINGAPORE – It is essential for a digital services supplier to have a solid possibility governance tradition and functionality in get to receive a electronic payment token (DPT) licence in Singapore.
Cryptocurrency assets do not pose a danger to the monetary procedure. At this place, cash laundering and terrorist financing are the main dangers inherent in the nature of cryptocurrency functions.
For this reason, it is significant for a business to have a solid board and management, and chance governance society, mentioned the Financial Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon in a keynote job interview at the Monetary Times’ Crypto and Digital Property Summit on Wednesday (April 27).
Requested about the major standards that MAS considers when issuing DPT licences, Mr Menon mentioned: “Several (corporations) are youthful players with very little expertise in banking or regulated functions, so there is certainly a cultural situation to bridge.
“They are innovative, they are nimble, they feel out of the box, which is all excellent. You want that, but they do have to have to have a danger governance society. And so that is a little something we pay out near interest to.”
These cryptocurrency players would require to have a formalised approach to detect and assess revenue laundering and terrorist funding threats just before they give new merchandise and systems, he reported.
“The danger evaluation should consider irrespective of whether a item has properties that boost anonymity, no matter whether the products is acknowledged to be used by criminals for illicit purposes, and irrespective of whether the volatility and liquidity of the solution render it vulnerable to current market manipulation, fraud and so on. So they want to do this threat evaluation ahead of they launch products and solutions,” claimed Mr Menon.
They are also envisioned to conduct correct shopper owing diligence for all digital payment transactions, he claimed, including: “This is non-negotiable.
“If a opportunity consumer is assessed to have better cash laundering dangers, for instance, then we assume the crypto service service provider to take increased purchaser because of diligence measures to mitigate, deal with these pitfalls, set up the customer’s resource of wealth, the source of money, desired destination and so on. All the things that we anticipate financial institutions to do, we be expecting them to do on the revenue laundering entrance.”
To date, 11 expert services suppliers have attained licences or in-basic principle approvals from MAS to deliver DPT expert services in Singapore.
Luno Singapore was the most recent entity to be presented an in-principle approval from MAS on Wednesday.
Luno, a world retail-targeted cryptocurrency system started in 2013 and headquartered in London, not long ago declared it has surpassed 10 million clients across about 40 international locations.
Ms Sherry Goh, nation manager for Singapore and world wide expansion manager of Luno, said: “The requirements are, in our check out, affordable and constant with our aim of furnishing a safe and sound natural environment for cryptocurrency users in Singapore.
“These specifications are in line with Luno’s strong emphasis on compliance and its ongoing advocacy for the successful regulation of crypto asset companies.”
Describing MAS’ licensing system as stringent, Mr Menon claimed it is vital “for the reason that we want to be a responsible world crypto hub with revolutionary players, but also with strong chance management abilities”.