German Regulator Orders Bitcoin Group Subsidiary to Address Anti-Money Laundering Shortcomings

According to CoinDesk, BaFin, Germany's financial regulator, has ordered a subsidiary of Bitcoin Group (ADE) to address some shortcomings in internal anti-money laundering measures. In a notice issued to the group's Futurum Bank subsidiary in October and posted publicly on Tuesday, the regulator said it had identified "serious deficits" in internal security measures, due-diligence obligations and the suspicious-activity reporting system. Bitcoin Group issued a statement on Wednesday saying it was taking measures to address the deficiencies, Reuters reported. "The Bitcoin Group expressly points out that there are currently no indications of violations of money laundering and terrorist financing laws within the Group," the firm reportedly said. Bitcoin Group made headlines last year when it agreed to acquire Munich-based Bankhaus von der Heydt, one of the oldest banks in the world. BaFin has historically taken a tough stance on crypto, with only a handful of companies being approved for its digital asset licenses despite it being one of the first regulators in the world to implement a comprehensive approval program. CoinDesk has reached out to Bitcoin Group for comment.