- KuCoin EU has appointed a new AML chief and expanded its Vienna compliance team weeks after Austrian regulators barred it from new business.
- The move addresses a February order from Austria’s FMA which found key compliance roles were inadequately staffed, breaching MiCA rules.
- The hires come as global regulators, including in the US and Dubai, increase AML scrutiny and penalties for KuCoin’s parent operations.
In March 2025, KuCoin EU appointed a new Anti-Money Laundering chief and bolstered its compliance team in Vienna, Austria. This strategic hire directly responds to a regulatory prohibition from Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) weeks earlier.
Carmen Kleinhans was named the new AML officer, supported by two deputies from former regulatory and banking roles. According to a Wednesday release, this team will oversee financial crime controls and risk management.
Consequently, the exchange aims to close compliance gaps identified by the FMA in February. The regulator had barred KuCoin EU from onboarding new clients due to insufficient staffing in key AML roles.
This push aligns with a wider industry shift toward governance over technical breaches. A recent report highlighted that KuCoin faced some of 2025’s largest AML-related penalties.
Meanwhile, the parent company has faced intense global regulatory pressure. In January, it agreed to pay nearly $300 million and exit the US market, according to reports.
On March 30, the firm also paid a $500,000 civil penalty to settle a US CFTC case. Earlier that month, it received a warning from Dubai’s regulator for operating without a local license.
Ultimately, the FMA must assess if the new team restores compliant operations. The authority will determine if the required control functions are now fully and suitably in place.
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