CORRECTION (Oct. 18, 3:50PM UTC): Updates headline and article throughout to specify that Coinhouse, not Coinbase, was among the exchanges targeted by the French regulator.
France is amplifying its scrutiny of cryptocurrency exchanges with expanded anti-money laundering (AML) measures to identify which will receive licenses valid across the European Union (EU), Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Coinhouse and Binance are included in the list of exchanges under review, according to sources cited in the report.
The French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) has been conducting on-site inspections since late 2024, instructing Binance to enhance its risk management strategies.
Not meeting ACPR’s standards could jeopardize an exchange’s chances of securing a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from France, which permits firms to provide services throughout the EU.
Companies have until the end of June next year to secure this license.
“Engagement with the ACPR is a continuous element of functioning as an AML-registered entity, and AML evaluations are standard within the ACPR’s regulatory supervision,” a Binance representative stated in an email. “The ACPR is executing these inspections across multiple exchanges, as elaborated in their 2024 annual report.”
ACPR did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for a statement.
UPDATE (Oct. 17, 16:10 UTC): Includes emailed remarks from Binance.
