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India Orders Takedown of 25 Offshore Crypto Platforms Over AML Violations

The enforcement push uses PMLA and IT Act powers to pressure unregistered exchanges serving Indian users to register with FIU-IND or lose market access.

Overview

  • FIU-IND issued Section 13 PMLA notices enabling audits, client identity checks, and suspicious transaction reporting, with penalties reported up to ₹1 lakh per breach.
  • The director invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to seek blocking of apps and URLs found to be operating illegally in India.
  • Named platforms include Huione, Paxful, CEX.IO, LBank, BingX, CoinEx, Poloniex, BitMex, BTCC, Remitano, ProBit Global, AscendEx, Phemex, and CoinW, among others.
  • Fourteen of the 25 exchanges together hold more than $9 billion in assets and recorded about $20 billion in 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap data cited by outlets.
  • Officials reiterated that crypto and NFTs are unregulated and risky, noting roughly 50 providers have registered with FIU-IND while many targeted offshore services remain accessible pending enforcement.