Irish cenbank fines Coinbase arm $3.6M for oversight, safeguard failures

The Central Bank of Ireland announced an enforcement action against Coinbase Ireland for failures to safeguard user funds and provide oversight between 2020 and 2025. 

In a Thursday notice, the regulator said that the Coinbase arm had “admitted the prescribed contraventions and has agreed to the undisputed facts,” settling for $3.6 million in fines. The notice said that Coinbase Ireland had violated regulations related to oversight and safeguarding of customer funds and improperly relied on the exchange’s US company to outsource certain services.

The company’s user agreement currently states: “We use a variety of service providers (some belonging to the Coinbase Group and some not) in the context of outsourcing arrangements to help us provide the Coinbase Services in an efficient and qualitative manner.”

In Thursday’s notice, the central bank’s enforcement director, Karen O’Leary, said firms operating in Ireland “must have the appropriate culture and expertise to comply with the rules, respond to risks and to protect customer interests,” adding:

“This action against Coinbase Ireland underlines the Central Bank’s focus on ensuring that customers are at all times protected and that the integrity of the financial system is maintained.”

The sanctions against the Coinbase arm require approval from Ireland’s high court before taking effect. The crypto exchange launched its operations in Ireland in 2018, receiving an e-money license from the central bank in 2019 and securing registration as a virtual asset service provider in 2022. 

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