KuCoin EU hires AML specialists after Austria’s FMA ordered halt over compliance gaps, aiming to restore operations and meet regulatory standards

KuCoin EU, the MiCAR-licensed European arm of global crypto exchange KuCoin based in Vienna, has moved to reinforce its anti–money laundering (AML) and compliance capabilities after Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) ordered it to halt onboarding new customers due to compliance deficiencies. The FMA found that KuCoin EU no longer properly filled its mandated money laundering officer and deputy positions and identified general shortcomings in its AML and internal control systems, leading to restrictions on new client acquisition until the firm remedies these gaps. In response, KuCoin EU has begun hiring additional AML specialists and has formally appointed new leadership in its AML function, aiming to satisfy the regulator’s requirements and restore normal operations. According to company announcements, KuCoin EU has strengthened its compliance leadership by appointing C. Kleinhans as Anti-Money Laundering Officer (AMLO), responsible for the platform’s AML, counter-terrorist financing (CFT) and sanctions framework, and for designing and overseeing risk-based compliance systems and regulatory engagement. It has also brought in Mr. Klinger and Mr. Träxler from Compliance Networks as Deputy AML Officers (DAMLOs) and is recruiting additional AML operations specialists and AML transaction monitoring staff in Vienna to bolster day-to-day financial crime controls, blockchain analytics, and investigations. These moves build on an earlier expansion of KuCoin EU’s local compliance and governance team in Austria, where the firm, licensed as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), is working to align its operations with evolving European supervisory expectations around AML, market integrity, and investor protection. This episode highlights how European regulators are tightening enforcement of AML and governance standards under MiCAR and related EU frameworks, with national authorities such as the FMA prepared to restrict operations where they perceive weaknesses in key control functions. For KuCoin EU, demonstrating robust, locally embedded AML leadership and staffing is critical not only to lifting the FMA’s restrictions but also to maintaining its ability to offer regulated custody, exchange, and transfer services across the European Economic Area from its Austrian hub.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

More coverage

• KuCoin EU Strengthens Compliance Leadership with Appointment ... (prnewswire.com)
• KuCoin EU Expands Local Compliance and Governance Team in ... (tradingview.com)
• Regulator Bans KuCoin EU from Onboarding New Customers Over ... (trendingtopics.eu)
• AML Operations Specialist - HubMub (hubmub.com)
• Crypto Careers at KuCoin (kucoin.com)

Explore the topic

• KuCoin
• compliance
• EU