When you hear FATF crypto rules, the global standards set by the Financial Action Task Force to stop money laundering and terrorist financing using digital assets. Also known as FATF guidelines, these rules force exchanges, wallet providers, and even developers to track and report crypto transactions like banks do with cash. This isn’t just paperwork—it changes what coins can list on major exchanges, who can trade them, and even how you send crypto to a friend.
The FATF doesn’t create laws itself, but its 200+ member countries adopt its rules into national law. That means if a crypto project ignores FATF guidelines, it gets blocked by Kraken, Crypto.com, or Binance. You’ve seen this with tokens like PVC Meta or FRED—no team, no KYC, no compliance? They vanish from listings. The same goes for mixing services: tools used to hide transaction trails are now flagged as high-risk, and exchanges that allow them risk losing their licenses. North Korea’s $3 billion crypto heists didn’t happen because of bad code—they happened because some platforms ignored FATF’s travel rule, which requires sending platforms to share sender and receiver info for transactions over $1,000.
FATF rules also hit decentralized platforms hard. If you’re running a DEX without any user identification, you’re technically breaking the rules in the EU, US, Japan, and more. That’s why platforms like Deribit and Crypto.com have strict KYC—because they have to. Even airdrops like CELT or ZOO Crypto World get scrutinized: if tokens are distributed without tracking who got them, regulators see a loophole for laundering. And it’s not just about big exchanges. If you’re trading crypto in Russia, Myanmar, or Iran, FATF rules shape how you do it—whether through P2P cash deals, government-approved channels, or underground networks.
What you’ll find below isn’t a list of legal jargon. It’s real stories: how a memecoin got delisted because it couldn’t verify users, how a blockchain game’s token got frozen over compliance fears, and why a crypto exchange in Georgia survives only because it limits who can use it. These aren’t abstract policies—they’re the invisible forces behind every coin you buy, every exchange you use, and every transaction you make.
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