FATF
The global body setting anti-money-laundering standards that shape crypto regulation worldwide.
The Financial Action Task Force is an intergovernmental body that sets global standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Its recommendations aren’t binding law themselves, but member countries implement them domestically — so FATF guidance effectively shapes crypto regulation across most of the world.
FATF extended its standards to crypto, classifying exchanges and custodians as “Virtual Asset Service Providers” subject to AML obligations, and drove adoption of the Travel Rule for crypto transfers. Understanding FATF explains why crypto regulations look broadly similar across many countries — they’re implementing a shared international framework. It’s the upstream source of much of the KYC/AML compliance users encounter, even though most have never heard of it.