De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) published details of an administrative fine imposed on a crypto service provider for offering crypto services in the Netherlands without the legally required registration under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft). DNB set the fine at EUR 2,850,000, and the Court of Rotterdam later reduced it to EUR 2,277,500. The Wwft registration requirement for crypto service providers has applied since 21 May 2020, reflecting elevated money laundering and terrorist financing risks linked to crypto services and transaction anonymity. DNB noted that operating without registration undermined the Wwft’s objectives and meant the provider could not report unusual transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit-Netherlands (FIU-NL) during the non-compliance period. Following the entry into force of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) on 30 December 2024, crypto service providers require a licence or authorisation from the Financial Markets Authority (AFM) or another European supervisory authority, but the fine relates to the earlier DNB registration regime. After DNB rejected the provider’s objection, the provider appealed to the Court of Rotterdam, which annulled DNB’s decision on objection and reduced the fine in a 19 December 2025 judgment. DNB lodged a further appeal with the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal (CBb) on 29 January 2026.
De Nederlandsche Bank 2026-02-10
De Nederlandsche Bank appeals Court of Rotterdam decision cutting unregistered crypto services fine to EUR 2,277,500
De Nederlandsche Bank imposed a EUR 2,850,000 fine on a crypto service provider for operating without the required registration under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act, which was later reduced to EUR 2,277,500 by the Court of Rotterdam. The provider's appeal led to a further appeal by DNB to the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal.