- Argentina removes cryptocurrency laundering clause from the Omnibus bill to speed up its legislative approval.
- Legislative modification in Argentina creates uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market, affecting investors and users of cryptoassets.
The recent change in the Omnibus bill by the Argentine government, led by President Javier Milei, has provoked an intense debate in financial and cryptocurrency circles. The main modification consists in the elimination of the clause that allowed the regularization of undeclared cryptocurrencies. This decision seeks to facilitate the approval of the project by concentrating on the parts that generate greater agreement in Congress.
The Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Francos, pointed out that this measure was taken to speed up the legislative process, given the need to prioritize the most essential elements of the bill. The section related to the laundering of assets, including cryptocurrencies, faced several challenges and disputes related to adjustments in the Income Tax and the formula for the calculation of pensions. Therefore, it was opted for its elimination.
The Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines, as the bill is known, was presented at the end of December. Its intention was to regularize several types of assets, including cryptocurrencies, thus allowing their laundering and use in Argentina.
Originally, this regulation proposed tax incentives for those users who owned large sums of cryptocurrencies in international exchanges and that had not been previously declared. The purpose was to facilitate the declaration of these assets and reduce the associated tax burden.
Following the removal of this clause, it remains in doubt whether the Argentine government will again address the issue of cryptocurrency laundering in future legislative proposals. Francos stressed that this change in the law is crucial to understand the new direction Argentina is taking towards the repatriation of assets from abroad, in line with the policy of economic openness promoted by Milei.
This turn in Argentine legislation has generated uncertainty among cryptocurrency investors and users, as well as a critical analysis of the country’s economic and fiscal policies. With the elimination of the laundering clause, Argentina shows a pragmatic and calculated stance, although it leaves several open questions about its future position regarding cryptocurrencies and financial regulation.
