KuCoin Faces $14M Canadian Action in Registration, Money Laundering Controls Dispute

KuCoin is appealing a Canadian enforcement action in which the exchange was accused of failing to register as a money-services business and failing to maintain proper defenses against money laundering, a case that led to a penalty of more than $19 million ($14 million U.S.). That unusually large penalty from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) was imposed after finding that Seychelles-based Peken Global Limited, operating as KuCoin, didn't report large crypto transactions and didn't flag suspicious transactions that may have involved money laundering or terrorist financing, the agency said on Thursday.