After Kraken abruptly stopped accepting deposits from consumers in the African country, the premium on crypto assets listed on South African exchanges briefly increased by 3.5%. Some South African crypto specialists have linked this decision by the U.S.-based exchange to the nation’s recent inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist, which has caused some skepticism.
The premium, which represents the price difference between the worldwide and South African exchange rates for digital assets like bitcoin, has steadily ranged between 0.7% and 1.5% before Kraken’s statement. However, this situation unexpectedly changed when Kraken’s banking partner stopped accepting South African deposits due to anti-laundering concerns, which caused the premium to spike.
According to Moneyweb, Kraken’s decision to stop accepting deposits from South Africa resulted from its banking partner’s decision to blacklist the African country. According to many South African experts, this option was made since the FATF decided to put the nation on its “grey list.” This legislative change comes after the government classified cryptocurrency assets as financial goods earlier this year. The effect was expected to extend to South Africa’s ability to obtain loans from foreign banks. In response, the country’s central bank promised to improve oversight and the efficacy of imposed administrative sanctions.
Numerous parties were impacted by Kraken’s abrupt action, which echoed across the local crypto arbitrage market. However, market participants like Future Forex and other experts in crypto arbitrage and forex quickly discovered substitute strategies to negotiate the new terrain.
Omer Iqbal of Fivewest, a cryptocurrency arbitrage service provider, doesn’t utilize Kraken; our arbitrage services are unaffected. Because various arbitrage firms utilize Kraken as their primary platform for trading for their clients, the premiums skyrocketed on Monday [August 28]. For those of our clients who are not dependent on Kraken, this is good news because constrained volumes always result in higher rates.
Kyle Dowie, co-founder of cryptocurrency arbitrage service Dooya, echoed the view and stressed how unexpected Kraken’s statement was. He believes the premium variations will probably level off if Kraken finds a new local banking partner.
Kraken’s action has highlighted the interplay between legislation, exchanges, and market factors in this quickly changing cryptocurrency ecosystem. Traders and providers continue maneuvering to grasp chances amidst altering paradigms as the sector adjusts to such events.
