Regulations

Story: Polish Sejm Falls Short on Crypto Bill Amid Escalating Zondacrypto Scandal

By Pankaj K

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Zondacrypto's Collapse and the Criminal Probe. Right as lawmakers were debating the override, the Zondacrypto scandal was getting bigger and…

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Allegations of Political Payments and a Pardon Promise. The details that came out are striking. A witness in the investigation alleged that a 2 million…

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What Happens to Creditors and Oversight. BB Trade Estonia's bankruptcy adds an international wrinkle.

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Poland's crypto regulation push hit another wall. The Sejm, the country's lower house of parliament, voted 241-198 to override President Karol Nawrocki's veto on crypto…

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It's the third time Nawrocki has killed similar legislation. His stated reason each time: the bills go too far.

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Polish prosecutors are digging into suspected fraud and money laundering tied to the exchange. And it's not a clean, contained investigation.

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Prime Minister Donald Tusk leaned into all of this ahead of the Sejm vote. He used the expanding probe to push the argument for tighter oversight, and he dropped something…

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The details that came out are striking. A witness in the investigation alleged that a 2 million Polish zloty payment — around $550,000 — was made through a foundation tied to…

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Related: OpenReserve Secures Full National Bank Charter, Defying Crypto Industry Norms

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So you've got a bankrupt exchange, $95 million in estimated losses, a missing founder, alleged political payments, and a pardon offer.

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The KNF's position is basically that Poland is operating in a supervisory vacuum. MiCA exists, but enforcement requires a designated national authority. Poland doesn't have one.

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BB Trade Estonia's bankruptcy adds an international wrinkle. The proceedings are happening in Estonia, not Poland, which means Polish creditors are navigating a cross-border…

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Prosecutors aren't done. They're still pulling on threads connecting the Zondacrypto case to Suszek's disappearance, the alleged payment schemes, and the broader question of…

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See also: US-UK Alliance Launches Operation Against 4,500+ Crypto Scam Networks

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And the regulatory gap stays open. Three vetoes in, Nawrocki hasn't signaled he'd accept a revised version of the legislation. Tusk's government wants stricter rules.

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