The Central Bank of Ireland has fined Coinbase Europe Limited €21.5 million (approximately $25 million) for breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) rules between April 2021 and March 2025. This marks the regulator’s first-ever disciplinary action against a crypto company. According to the Central Bank, Coinbase Europe — a subsidiary of Coinbase Group that offers cryptocurrency exchange and wallet services — failed to properly monitor over 30 million transactions worth more than €176 billion. These transactions represented about 31% of the company’s total activity during a period of technical disruption. The regulator stated that Coinbase took nearly three years to review all problematic transactions, eventually filing 2,708 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) with the Irish Financial Intelligence Unit. The reports involved suspected cases of money laundering, fraud, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and child exploitation. The Central Bank emphasized that real-time monitoring and prompt reporting are “the cornerstones of an effective anti-money-laundering system.” Delays, it said, can “seriously impede law enforcement’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute crimes.” Coinbase Europe acknowledged the violations and accepted the findings. The company breached its obligations under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 by failing to monitor 30.4 million transactions and by not maintaining adequate internal controls. A Warning Shot for the Crypto Industry Deputy Governor Colm Kincaid said: “To be effective in combatting financial crime, law enforcement agencies rely on regulated financial institutions to have systems in place to monitor transactions and report suspicions. The failure of such a system within any financial institution creates an opportunity for criminals to evade detection – and criminals will take that opportunity,” Kincaid added that crypto assets have “technological features that make them particularly attractive to criminals,” calling for stronger controls across the industry. The initial fine of €30.7 million was reduced by 30% under the Undisputed Facts Settlement, resulting in the €21.5 million penalty. The decision still awaits confirmation by the High Court of Ireland. The Central Bank noted that this is the 162nd case under its administrative sanctions program, bringing total fines issued to over €428 million ($495 million). This enforcement comes amid tightening European oversight. In June 2025, Coinbase received a license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in Luxembourg. A month later, the European Anti-Money Laundering Agency (AMLA) unveiled new rules for crypto companies, including a ban on anonymous wallets and privacy-focused coins.
