NatWest limits cryptocurrency transfers over scam fears

NatWest is limiting the magnitude of wealth customers tin transportation to cryptocurrency exchanges.

From Tuesday, customers volition beryllium capable to transportation a maximum of £1,000 a time to specified exchanges, and nary much than £5,000 per month.

The slope says it is to support customers from "crypto-criminals" seeking to scam them.

NatWest caput of fraud extortion Stuart Skinner said the slope had seen an summation successful the fig of scams linked to cryptocurrency, with UK consumers losing an estimated £329m from specified transgression acts.

He besides gave proposal to assistance radical debar being duped.

"You should ever person sole power of your cryptocurrency wallet and cipher other should person access," helium said.

"If you didn't acceptable the wallet up yourself oregon can't entree the wealth past this is apt to beryllium a scam."

In June 2021, NatWest introduced immoderate regular caps connected customers' transfers to crypto exchanges, with the limits varying successful size depending connected the level successful question.

At the time, it cited concerns implicit concern scams and fraud.

Benoit Marzouk, main enforcement of BitcoinPoint, a crypto trading app registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said the limits imposed by NatWest were excessively restrictive and did not code the occupation itself.

"Banks should alternatively absorption connected educating their users astir the astir communal scams clients are falling unfortunate to, typically the 'recovery of your funds' oregon demanding that you wage a withdrawal interest anterior to the 'release of funds'," helium told the BBC.

NatWest's announcement comes the aforesaid time arsenic crypto speech Binance announced it was stopping radical from depositing and withdrawing their currency successful pounds sterling.

Binance, which has much than 128 cardinal customers, did not springiness details connected the fig of clients the determination would impact.

The institution is moving to find an "alternative solution" for sterling transfers, a Binance spokesperson said.

Binance past period suspended each dollar slope transfers amid a increasing crackdown connected crypto by US authorities.

Previously Binance had been issued a informing by the FCA, the UK's fiscal regulator.

The FCA warned consumers successful June 2021 that Binance did not clasp "any form" of support to connection services regulated successful the UK.

The value of sterling backing to Binance is unclear.

The institution does not marque nationalist its finances, with the halfway of the concern - the elephantine Binance.com speech - mostly hidden from nationalist view.