LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - Britain's markets regulator
and police have swooped on suspected illegal crypto cashpoints
(ATMs) across east London as authorities step up attempts to
disrupt unregistered businesses deemed high risk for consumers.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which last month
launched a similar crackdown in the northern English city of
Leeds, said on Wednesday it was reviewing evidence gathered from
"a number of sites" and might take further action.
The inspections were conducted under money laundering
regulations, which allow officers to enter premises without a
warrant, observe activities, seek explanations about documents
or information and take copies.
Crypto ATMs (CATMs) allow people to buy or convert money
into cryptoassets. But no CATM operators are registered with the
FCA, which means any operating here breach British anti-money
laundering regulations.
The FCA, which has long warned consumers that cryptoassets
are unregulated and that investors should be prepared to lose
all of their money, told CATM operators last year to shut the
machines down or face further the investigation.
CoinATMRadar, a website that allows users to search for
CATMs globally, put the number of these cashpoints in Britain at
more than 270 in 2020. It is now showing only 19 locations; 12
in London, six in Birmingham and one in Manchester.
Reuters was unable to establish whether this was down to
operators shutting down or because they no longer advertise
their existence online.
"It is very possible that they are going under the radar,"
noted Marcus Sotiriou, an analyst at crypto brokerage
Globalblock. "But there is also definitely an element of fear
and uncertainty about what the FCA is going to do next."
(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley, additional reporting by Elizabeth
Howcroft, editing by Louise Heavens)