South Korea Bans 14 Unregistered Cryptocurrency Apps from the Apple Store
What Happened?
On April 14, 2025, South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) banned 14 apps from the Apple Store operated by unregistered foreign virtual asset service providers (VASPs), including KuCoin and MEXC. This followed a similar action on March 25, when 17 apps were banned from the Google Play Store.
Why is Korea taking these strict measures?
• Regulatory compliance: To ensure all providers are registered with the FIU and comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) laws.
• Investor protection: To protect Korean investors from the risks of unregistered platforms.
• Market integrity: To maintain fair competition with registered domestic platforms.
• National security: To prevent illegal activities and protect the economy.
Impact of the ban on users and platforms
For users:
• Restricted access to banned apps
• Risk of losing money if platforms are shut down
• Need to migrate to licensed platforms
For websites and platforms:
• Loss of Korean user base
• Pressure to comply with Korean regulations
• Damage to reputation.
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