Netherlands | Crypto

Investors and crypto users warn the proposed unrealized gains tax could drive an exodus of capital and talent. The Netherlands plans to tax unrealized capital gains on a range of investments, including stocks, bonds and cryptocurrencies, sparking warnings of capital flight. A majority of lawmakers in the Dutch parliament appear ready to back changes to the country’s Box 3 asset tax regime, which would require investors to pay annual tax on both realized and unrealized gains, even if assets have not been sold, NL Times reported on Tuesday. The plan follows court rulings that struck down the existing system for relying on assumed, rather than actual, returns. The Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) debated the proposal again this week, with more than 130 questions put to caretaker State Secretary for Taxation Eugène Heijnen. Read more

The Dutch National Bank fined OKX $2.6 million for operating in the Netherlands without registration before the EU’s MiCA rules took effect. The Dutch National Bank (DNB) imposed a fine of 2.25 million euros ($2.6 million) on crypto exchange OKX for operating in the country without registering with the regulator. According to a Wednesday DNB announcement, the fine pertains to a period from July 2023 to August 2024, before the introduction of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime. Local regulators began requiring crypto firms to register with the local central bank for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes in early 2020. An OKX spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the company is “pleased to have resolved this matter” and “maintains that OKX did not actively target Dutch customers during the period in question.” The representative also highlighted that the fine “does not apply to, nor concern, our MiCAR-licensed entity, Okcoin Europe,” and that the Netherlands remains an important market fo...