Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen on this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Picture

NEW DELHI, Aug 27 (Reuters) – India’s high crypto app CoinSwitch is cooperating with the nationwide financial-crime company, whose brokers searched its workplaces this week to search out out about its enterprise mannequin and user-onboarding processes, its CEO advised Reuters on Saturday.

CoinSwitch, valued at $1.9 billion, says it’s the largest crypto firm in India, with greater than 18 million registered customers. The agency is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger World and Coinbase Ventures.

Ashish Singhal, talking for the primary time publicly about Thursday’s search, mentioned his firm was participating with the Indian Enforcement Directorate’s unit within the tech hub Bengaluru on functioning of its crypto platform.

“Most of their engagement with us has been about figuring out what CoinSwitch does,” Singhal mentioned, saying the inquiries included operations of crypto exchanges, how customers had been onboarded and particulars about know-your-customer norms.

An individual with direct information mentioned the case pertains to suspected violations of India’s international alternate legal guidelines. Brokers requested about international investments, earnings and outflows to verify on compliance, and seized monetary paperwork, the supply mentioned.

Singhal declined to specify the company’s allegations, citing authorized sensitivities.

The Enforcement Directorate didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The investigation into CoinSwitch comes amid tightening regulatory scrutiny of the crypto sector in India.

In a separate case the company this month froze $eight million in belongings of WazirX, a high digital foreign money alternate, in an investigation of a potential function in serving to immediate mortgage app firms launder the proceeds of crime by changing them into cryptocurrencies on its platform. learn extra

WazirX disputes the allegations.

The company has mentioned it was conducting money-laundering investigations in opposition to a number of shadow banks and their fintech firms for potential violations of central financial institution norms and predatory lending practices.

The CoinSwitch search was “not about cash laundering,” Singhal mentioned. The company “has been engaged with us with respect to functioning of our crypto platform and we’re totally cooperating with them,” he mentioned.

Whereas no official information is out there on the scale of India’s crypto market, CoinSwitch estimates the variety of buyers at as much as 20 million, with whole holdings of about $6 billion.

Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Modifying by William Mallard

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.