2026-06-06 –, Hall 2 / Sala 2
This talk analyses how the U.S. (GENIUS Act), EU (forthcoming AMLD7) and other jurisdictions are currently reshaping privacy rules in cryptocurrencies.
The GENIUS Act imposes BSA/AML/KYC duties and seizure powers on stablecoin issuers, ending de facto anonymity for USD-pegged assets. MiCA mandates licensed CASPs with full transaction tracing, while AMLD7 is prohibitive towards anonymous accounts and privacy coins.
The current state reveals a rapid shift from pseudonymity to regulated identifiability, with CASPs required to perform enhanced due diligence and real-time monitoring. The increasing rift between compliant, traceable on-chain activity for institutional use alongside offshore or self-custodial workarounds facing heightened enforcement risk as well as the legal assessment of privacy-enhancing technologies will be discussed.
Christian Sillaber is a Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Law, University of Bern. His research focuses on privacy and AML compliance in digital currencies, including both decentralized cryptocurrencies and centrally managed systems.