Cautious optimism seems to be the current mood in the Australian crypto community. Binance Australia General Manager Ben Rose is voicing confidence that Australian regulators will eventually arrive at appropriate guidelines for digital assets. Speaking against the backdrop of recent regulatory tensions and banking blocks that have impacted his crypto exchange, Rose maintains a hopeful attitude.
In May, Binance Australia encountered a significant hiccup when Australian banking system severed ties with the exchange following a ‘high-risk’ classification given by the payments firm Cuscal. This incident subsequently led to the termination of all Australian Dollar (AUD) trading pairs, hindering AUD denominated deposits and withdrawals. Major banking institutions like Westpac and National Australia Bank took cautious steps, restricting clients from transferring funds to Binance.
Despite such setbacks, Rose emphasizes that the crypto exchange is concentrated on restoring their banking relationships and returning fiat ramp service to its one million Australian patrons. He mentions that constructive discussions with regulators are underway, although there’s no specific outcome yet.
While challenges persist, it appears the exchange’s resilience is driven by a belief that regulators will make the right decisions in due course when it comes to crypto regulation. Rose expressed his optimism following a round table discussion with the Treasury and ASIC, stating that there’s good engagement between the industry and regulators.
Christian Westerlind Wigstrom from the Australian payments provider Monoova echoed a similar view, lauding the recent increase in dialogue between major crypto exchanges and policymakers. The presence of scams and fraud surely ring alarm bells and Wigstrom is hopeful that blanket blocks of funds to crypto exchanges will eventually give way to more nuanced regulatory discussions.
The track for crypto-specific legislation in Australia seems to be on course for a 2024 delivery. It’s understandable why such optimism hangs in the crypto community, however, only time will unveil whether this anticipation will translate into crypto-friendly regulation or will continue to give rise to obstacles for cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance Australia.
Source: Cointelegraph
