2026 has kicked off with a global tightening of regulations. Countries are moving quickly to close compliance gaps. If 2026 is truly the breakout year for crypto, is this preparation for it? Even SEC Chair Paul Atkins said that “clear legislation and well-defined rules” deliver market certainty.”
To start with, Kazakhstan, the country that has promised to build a “crypto-city,” has cracked down on over 1100 unlicensed cryptocurrency platforms in 2025. The Kazakh regulator, Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM), has shut down illegal crypto exchanges and frozen assets in order to ensure compliance.
According to the statement issued on 12 January 2025, 1135 criminal cases were investigated, 141.5 billion tenge had been reimbursed to victims. Notably, the authorities took down 22 crypto exchanges and $16.7 million worth of crypto was seized by the government.
Kazakhstan has blocked over 1,100 crypto trading websites in a year as part of a crackdown on illegal platforms.
Regulation is tightening fast. pic.twitter.com/YAVDAv0VF8— First1Bitcoin (@First1Bitcoin) January 13, 2026
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Italy Says Social Media Posts Hyping “Get Rich Quick” Schemes Linked To Crypto Can Get In Trouble
Meanwhile, Italy continues to dial up efforts to bring local crypto activity into compliance.
Unregistered Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in Italy have been given until December 2026 to secure all licenses. The country has been aggressive in blocking unregistered platforms. Regulators have shut down 1500 investment sites.
Italy’s top securities regulator has issued a warning to “finfluencers” promoting crypto. The Italian authority explicitly said that the EU investment rules apply fully to the social media activity of financial influencers.
On 12 January 2026, Italy’s Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) published a guidance from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). “Promoting a financial product or service on social media is not like promoting shoes or watches, explains the factsheet published on the ESMA and Consob websites. The guidance said, “Telling people what to invest in, or what to avoid, can be considered a form of investment advice that requires authorization from the competent national authority.”
From now on, “this is not investment advice” will not suffice. If a casual social media post recommends buying, selling, avoiding anything – the influencer may require formal authorization from a national regulator.
Italy’s CONSOB puts ‘finfluencers’ on notice amid ESMA’s crypto risk warnings https://t.co/GrYKUfAc1K#Blockchain #memecoin #Token #Crypto #technology #Ethereum #bnb #Polygon #bitcoin #cryptocurrency #Coin #News #DeFI pic.twitter.com/BWhqZcffKo
— takaracoin (@takaracoin) January 13, 2026
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The post Crypto News Today: Italy, India, Kazakhstan Tighten Grip On Crypto Trading And Advertising appeared first on 99Bitcoins.