On 30 and 31 October, the OSCE facilitated a study visit to Finland on virtual assets for representatives from Moldova's Financial Intelligence Unit, National Bank, National Commission for Financial Market, Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, National Inspectorate for Investigation, and the Security and Intelligence Service.
The visit, hosted by the Finnish Financial Intelligence Unit and the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority, provided participants with practical insights into Finland's approach to regulating and supervising Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and managing risks related to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). The agenda also featured a session from the Bank of Finland on the relevance of digital currencies, evolving electronic payment systems and ongoing research in this area.
"Through discussions with FIU Finland, the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority, and the Bank of Finland, we gained a deeper understanding of how co-operation between financial intelligence, supervisory and central banking institutions supports effective regulation, financial integrity, and the safe development of the crypto asset market" said one of the participants.
The study visit comes at a particularly timely moment, as Moldova is in the process of developing its own regulatory and supervisory framework for virtual assets and VASPs. The exchange of experiences with Finnish authorities offered valuable guidance on effective approaches to licensing, monitoring, and mitigating risks in the evolving digital financial landscape.
The activity was organized as part of the OSCE extrabudgetary project, "Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money-laundering risks of virtual assets", implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, with the financial support of the Governments of Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States.
