Previous fines embody €4 million for Kraken and €2.85 million for Crypto.com.
OKX additionally fined €1.1 million in Malta in April 2025.
$504 million settlement within the US retains OKX underneath oversight till 2027.
The Dutch central financial institution’s determination to advantageous OKX €2.25 million is not only a warning about regulatory oversight—it displays how European authorities are taking a retrospective strategy to compliance.
The penalty covers companies supplied with out registration between July 2023 and August 2024, a interval earlier than the Markets in Crypto-Belongings Regulation (MiCA) got here into pressure.
By focusing on previous exercise, regulators are making it clear that crypto exchanges might be held accountable even for legacy practices, no matter whether or not they’re now licensed underneath Europe’s new regime.
Previous actions stay underneath scrutiny
Since 2020, the Netherlands has required crypto service suppliers to register underneath its anti-money laundering guidelines.
OKX, working with out approval throughout that timeframe, was present in breach. The DNB mentioned such violations “won’t be tolerated.”
The Netherlands has taken comparable motion in opposition to different main exchanges.
Kraken paid €4 million, and Crypto.com paid €2.85 million, each for providing unregistered companies.
These penalties, together with OKX’s newest advantageous, present that enforcement applies retroactively and that regulators should not letting previous violations slide because the trade adapts to new frameworks.
World fines put highlight on compliance gaps
OKX has additionally been penalised in a number of jurisdictions. In April 2025, its European unit was fined €1.1 million in Malta for anti-money laundering shortcomings recognized two years earlier.
The corporate secured MiCA approval after overhauling compliance processes.
Earlier in 2025, in the USA, OKX agreed to a $504 million settlement.
It admitted to working as an unlicensed cash transmitter and processing illicit transactions.
The settlement requires OKX to function underneath strict oversight till 2027, together with hiring an impartial compliance advisor.
These fines present a constant sample: regulators are digging into earlier operations whereas demanding present compliance.
For exchanges, this implies penalties might arrive years after the unique breaches, creating extended uncertainty.
Dutch case handled as “legacy matter”
OKX, legally often known as Aux Cayes Fintech Co., characterised the Dutch case as a “legacy matter” and mentioned it has already resolved the problem.
Dutch prospects had been moved to its MiCA-licensed European entity, and the agency burdened there was no impression on prospects.
The advantageous imposed by the DNB was decrease than penalties given to different exchanges, with the regulator recognising OKX’s cooperation.
Nevertheless, the motion reinforces a bigger pattern: exchanges can not merely comply at present and ignore yesterday.
Europe’s enforcement period underneath MiCA
The timing of the Dutch case is critical. MiCA is now stay throughout Europe, requiring exchanges to register, adjust to reporting guidelines, and go stricter anti-money laundering checks.
Whereas OKX and others have secured licences, regulators are nonetheless pursuing earlier breaches.
This implies the period of “function first, register later” has ended, and exchanges are studying that legacy operations carry dangers lengthy after new frameworks are in place.
The Netherlands’ strategy signifies that different regulators throughout Europe might observe, reviewing previous exercise whereas implementing present guidelines.
