Apple Removes Foreign Crypto Exchange Apps From India’s App Store

• Apple has removed access to apps from major foreign crypto exchanges from the Indian App Store.
• India’s FIU had previously warned that foreign crypto exchanges were breaching money laundering regulations.
• However, domestic crypto exchanges remain unaffected.

Indian authorities are growing increasingly concerned over potential money laundering and terrorist financing enabled by cryptocurrencies. 

After the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) called for blocking foreign exchange websites last December, Apple has moved to cut access to a raft of major crypto exchange apps from its App Store.

Apple Pulls Plug on Major Crypto Exchange Apps

According to TechCrunch, Apple has removed the apps for major cryptocurrency exchanges Binance, Kraken, Huobi, Gate.io, Bittrex, OKX, Bitfinex, and Bitstamp from its Indian App Store. 

Additional reports on social media have suggested that the app for the MEXC Global exchange was also removed.

However, the app purge seems to be limited to global industry players, with India-based exchanges like CoinSwitch, CoinDCX, and WazirX unaffected at this time. 

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CoinSwitch co-founder Ashish Singhal commented that many domestic exchanges are compliant with money laundering legislation, and foreign exchanges need to follow suit if they intend to do business in India.

Google Android users are currently unaffected, with the respective exchange apps still available through the Play Store. 

Meanwhile, iOS users who had installed the exchange apps before the cull can still use them without any restrictions for now per TechCrunch.

Late December 2023 saw India’s FIU issue notices to the blocked foreign exchanges, citing failure to meet registration and compliance requirements.   

FIU Sounds Alarm On Non-Compliance

The App Store purge comes less than two weeks after the FIU’s notice of non-compliance to foreign crypto exchanges. 

The agency alleged that the foreign exchanges had allowed Indian users access to their platforms without following appropriate Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules or registering with Indian authorities.

While some considered the FIU’s actions a continuation of anti-crypto sentiment on the part of Indian lawmakers, others saw it as a necessary step to the eventual legitimization of digital assets in the country. 

WazirX founder Nischal Shetty took the latter view, commenting that he considered such restrictions necessary for “greater regulatory clarity and control” and harmonization of rules across different jurisdictions.  

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Nevertheless, domestic Indian exchanges have experienced a boom in activity following the FIU notice to foreign exchanges.

The recent removal of exchange apps by Apple highlights the increasing regulatory efforts to control unregulated cryptocurrency activity. 

However, resourceful crypto users will always find ways to circumvent bans, which means that India’s approach requires less punitive measures if it is to curb unwanted activities.