Council of Europe Ministers Discuss Crypto-Asset Regulation and Democratic Risks, February 2026

On 23 February 2026, the Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe held an informal meeting to address the regulatory, compliance, and security challenges posed by the rapid expansion of crypto-assets and decentralised digital finance. The meeting examined how crypto-assets are misused for illicit activities — including sabotage, unlawful political financing, terrorism, and money laundering — and how they enable covert financing of foreign operations that threaten European democratic institutions. The meeting is a non-binding deliberative event; it does not produce legislation or binding Council of Europe decisions.

The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Daniela Cujbă, President of the Ministers' Deputies, and held under the Council of Europe's broader Roadmap towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe. The Council of Europe's relevant instruments in this space include the Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism (Warsaw Convention) and the work of MONEYVAL, the Council of Europe's AML/CFT monitoring body. The Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) presented a scene-setting contribution on the Council of Europe's existing tools for addressing crypto-related crime.

The meeting carries direct implications for crypto-asset service providers, exchanges, wallet providers, and DeFi protocols with users in Council of Europe member states. The discussions specifically addressed whether existing regulatory regimes — including the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) — are sufficient to counter crypto-enabled illicit finance and foreign interference. MONEYVAL, which monitors member states' compliance with FATF standards, was identified as a key existing tool. The meeting's outcome may influence Council of Europe guidance to its 46 member states on tightening AML/CFT supervision of crypto-asset service providers and updating national frameworks to address crypto-enabled foreign interference.

Source: Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers, "Crypto: regulations, compliance and measures for digital assets — combating crime and foreign interference," Informal Meeting of the Ministers' Deputies, 23 February 2026. Official URL: https://www.coe.int/en/web/cm/-/crypto-regulations-compliance-and-measures-for-digital-assets-combating-crime-and-foreign-interference. Confirmed 11 March 2026.

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