美国财政部金融犯罪执法局（FinCEN）正式撤销2020年加密货币钱包报告规定

The U.S. Treasury Department officially withdraws its 2020 crypto wallet reporting program

The U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit has officially canceled a 2020 program that originally required the reporting of cryptocurrency transactions sent to private wallets and mixers. According to multiple media reports, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) withdrew the proposal, which had required financial institutions to report specific cryptocurrency transactions involving private wallets. At the same time, the relevant terms for cryptocurrency mixing services have also been deleted.

The original proposal, introduced in late 2020, aims to impose reporting requirements on transactions that exceed certain dollar thresholds and are sent to non-custodial or private wallets. Regarding the specific amount of the threshold, there are different opinions: some reports call it US$3,000, while others point out that it is US$10,000. The difference may reflect the proposal's multiple draft revisions and revisions over a six-year period, rather than a de facto controversy.

Industry Criticism and Privacy Concerns

In addition to wallet reporting rules, FinCEN has previously proposed independent requirements for cryptocurrency hybrid services. Hybrid services refer to services that collect and reallocate digital assets to cover up transaction trajectories. According to reports, the Ministry of Finance abandoned the currency mixing rule because it was worried that it would have a chilling effect on legitimate users and businesses. Another analysis pointed out that the mixed currency rule and the wallet rule were abolished together.

Since the proposal was proposed, the plan has been subject to continued criticism from the cryptocurrency industry. Critics believe that the reporting threshold is set too low and will include regular consumer transactions. Privacy advocates warn that the rules will establish a de facto monitoring mechanism on self-custodial digital assets, undermining the core feature of blockchain technology that allows users to hold funds without intermediaries.

The end of regulatory uncertainty

After years of delay, the rule was never finalized despite regulators signaling their intention to restart the rule. Industry groups have lobbied extensively against the measure on the grounds that it conflicts with the way cryptocurrency wallets and self-custody actually work. The pending state of rules has created continued uncertainty for exchanges, custodians and wallet providers when planning compliance frameworks.

FinCEN's decision to formally close the proposal rather than leave it pending is a noteworthy shift. It removes long-standing regulatory uncertainty that has shrouded discussions about how U.S. authorities monitor cryptocurrency transactions involving private, unmanaged wallets.

Market Impact

此次撤回消除了多年来悬而未决的监管压力。交易所、托管机构和钱包开发者不再需要为一个被认为对自我托管资产不可行的报告制度做准备。此举可能被解读为对私人钱包活动采取更宽松监管态度的信号，尽管FinCEN尚未表明是否会出台修订后的提案。

具体而言，对于混币服务，放弃拟议的规则可能会减轻那些因被用于掩盖交易起源而面临审查的平台面临的合规压力。然而，其他针对混币器非法使用的反洗钱框架和制裁执行工具仍然有效，不受此撤回提案的影响。

这次撤回结束了围绕加密货币钱包报告的六年监管不确定性篇章，但人们仍在关注，如果有的话，财政部将提出何种替代方案。

常见问题解答

FinCEN具体撤销了什么？
FinCEN撤销了其2020年的提案，该提案曾要求报告发送至私人钱包的加密货币交易，以及针对加密货币混币服务的相关条款。

原始提案中的报告门槛是多少？
不同来源对此细节的说法不一。一些报道称门槛为3,000美元，另一些则描述为10,000美元，这很可能反映了提案漫长的、未完成的立法过程中所做的变更。

据报道，为何放弃了混币规则？
According to reports, the Ministry of Finance dropped rules related to currency mixing out of concerns that it might have a chilling effect on legitimate users and businesses that rely on such services.

Does this mean that cryptocurrency transactions do not need to be reported?
This is not the case. This withdrawal only removes this unfinished 2020 proposal. Other existing anti-money laundering and reporting obligations of regulated cryptocurrency companies will not be affected by this decision.