German Bank SolarisBank Interested in Crypto Custody Services
One of the first financial institutions to offer cryptocurrency services is Solarisbank in Berlin. Besides, SolarisBank had earlier announced the launch of its subsidiary – Solaris Digital Assets GmbH which aims to provide custody services. Following the latest development, the Head of crypto banking at the institute, Michael Offermann stated,
“We have been dealing intensively with crypto custody for a year and a half. The new regulation in the new Money Laundering Act is a good time to start practically. After all, we are not a research institute, but a commercial bank”
Unauthorized Crypto Custodians?
Furthermore, this news comes after Germany’s financial watchdog released its latest guidance in which BaFin clarified that the crypto custodians operating outside, but still serving the German market and are not yet licensed for operation, would not be penalized. These firms, however, will come under the umbrella of the European nation’s new crypto-asset custody law which became effective on January 1, 2020.
This means that the concerned firms have to confirm their intent to submit applications for an operational license by March 31 of 2020.
Germany had drafted the updated law after the European Union’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Under this law, the crypto asset firms are required to ensure compliance with updated know-your-customer [KYC] and anti-money-laundering [AML] checks.
