Major Portuguese Banks Close Crypto Accounts

Some of the leading banks in Portugal, including Banco Comercial Portugues and Banco Santander, were said to have shut down all of CriptoLoja’s accounts last week. The company is the first cryptocurrency exchange that received a license to operate in the country.

Portugal’s authorities have previously displayed a predominantly crypto-friendly stance, rejecting two tax proposals that could have been applied to investors profiting from digital assets.

Several cryptocurrency platforms in Portugal have to cope with bank-related issues. A few days ago, the nation’s banking giants – Banco Comercial Portugues and Banco Santander, closed all of CriptoLoja’s accounts, while two smaller banks also initiated the same. None of the companies explained why they decided to go anti-crypto.

Apart from CriptoLoja, Mind the Coin also faced the same problems. Earlier in 2022, the authorities halted the latter, and since then, it has been unable to open client accounts.

Ricardo Filipe – Chief Product Officer of Luso Digital Assets – said the regulators closed some of his firm’s accounts, too.

Anti-money laundering policies and preventing the employment of digital currencies in criminal actions could be a reason for the banks’ move. In an emailed statement, Banco Comercial explained it takes measures every time it detects “suspicious transactions.”

Pedro Borges CEO and Co-Founder of CriptoLoja stated that his exchange now has to rely on “using accounts outside Portugal to run” its operations.

“All the compliance and reporting procedures have been followed,” he said.

In the past several months, Portugal emerged as a center of the cryptocurrency industry. The domestic authorities treat digital currencies the same way as other currencies, not just assets. It is also one of the few countries on the Old Continent where cryptocurrency transactions are not a subject of taxation.