Argentine Senate has passed a law creating a registry for any institution providing cryptocurrency services in the country. The Argentine Securities Enforcement Agency (CNV) will manage the registry, which also requires cryptocurrency companies to provide customer personal information and other data to government entities.

Lee Yun-soo, Director of Financial Intelligence and Analysis at the Financial Services Commission of Korea, stated at the "5th Blockchain Leaders' Club" event that although some people believe that the virtual asset industry has a bright future, there are also voices calling for the elimination of illegal activities using virtual assets and strengthening anti-money laundering efforts. We will support cryptocurrency operators to improve the construction and operation of anti-money laundering systems to a new level. If coin market operators want to enter the fiat market, they must have sufficient anti-money laundering capabilities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has issued guidance for crypto firms to comply with anti-money laundering and terrorist-financing requirements. The EBA aims to harmonize the approach that crypto asset service providers (CASP) across the EU should adopt to combat financial crime. The EBA has published guidelines on risk-based supervision of CASPs and is consulting on proposed guidelines to prevent the abuse of crypto transfers. The guidelines will apply from Dec. 30, around the time when the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory package takes full effect. Competent authorities have two months to report whether they comply with the new guidelines.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is urging policymakers to find ways to identify individuals involved in decentralized finance (DeFi) due to concerns over money laundering, terrorism financing, and fraud. The CFTC report suggests prioritizing digital identity, know your customer (KYC), and anti-money laundering (AML) regimes, as well as calibrating privacy in DeFi. Regulators are struggling to regulate DeFi due to the widespread use of pseudonyms to hide users' identities and the decentralized nature of the industry. The lack of clear lines of responsibility and accountability in DeFi systems is also a central concern for regulators.

Polygon Labs' chief legal and policy officer, Rebecca Rettig, has expressed her optimism for the future of crypto despite the challenges it faces. She believes that technical advancements, regulatory progress, and wider adoption are occurring, but acknowledges that there are still obstacles to overcome. One of the biggest challenges is making blockchain technology more accessible and understandable to a wider audience. The industry must work with regulators and policymakers to address the AML issue and provide viable solutions that align with regulatory goals. Despite these challenges, Rettig remains optimistic about the industry's potential with passionate builders leading the way.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan member Luo Ming stated that we should think carefully about how to regulate virtual currencies, so that legitimate companies have norms to follow, support the development of this industry, and increase job opportunities for young people. Now is a good time to promote Taiwan as the "Asian blockchain center". In March, the Executive Yuan designated the Financial Supervisory Commission as the competent authority for financial investment or payment-related virtual asset platforms. The Financial Supervisory Commission has established the "Guidelines for the Management of Virtual Asset Platforms and Trading Businesses (VASP)", and currently 26 virtual currency companies have completed their declaration of compliance with anti-money laundering laws.

Abu Dhabi Global Market's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) announced revisions to its anti-money laundering and sanctions rules and guidelines, clarifying requirements previously included in the anti-money laundering rules, particularly making some minor drafting amendments to the wire transfer provisions to more clearly state that the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) travel rule applies to virtual assets.

According to a report by Cointlegraph on December 13th, the Criminal Investigation Department of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has listed four cases related to cryptocurrency as one of the top ten "most prominent and noteworthy investigations" for 2023. These cases include investigations into the Silk Road market, OneCoin, Oyster Protocol founder "Bruno Block," and a money laundering scheme using Bitcoin self-service terminals.

According to The Block, five new US senators have joined Senator Elizabeth Warren's Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act. Three of the new members are also members of the Senate Banking Committee with Elizabeth Warren. The committee may play an important role in cryptocurrency legislation passed next year.The Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act has been criticized by the cryptocurrency industry. The bill aims to expand the requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act to miners, validators, wallet providers, and KYC. Elizabeth Warren stated, "Cryptocurrency technology should be managed with the same transparency rules as traditional banks to protect Americans and help ensure it is not used to facilitate illegal activities for criminal enterprises and rogue states."