Jamaica House of Representatives reviews the regulatory bill for virtual asset service providers

On September 22, the House of Representatives of Jamaica began reviewing the "Virtual Assets Service Providers Act," which aims to establish a licensing and regulatory framework for cryptocurrency exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, and to ensure compliance with international standards such as anti-money laundering.

The bill stipulates that businesses providing virtual asset services to Jamaican consumers, regardless of their headquarters location, must obtain a license from the Financial Services Commission (FSC); operating without a license will constitute a criminal offense. Licensed entities must also fulfill obligations such as customer identity verification, transaction monitoring, and reporting suspicious activities.

Jamaica's Minister of Finance Fayval Williams stated that FSC licensing only regulates business operations and does not constitute official recognition or guarantee of the digital assets being traded. The Jamaican dollar remains the only legal tender in the country, and the FSC will be authorized to license, supervise, and shut down non-compliant virtual asset businesses.