Nils Silinevics
Partner · AML & Crypto Compliance · Former FIU Investigator
KuCoin is not registered with MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) + CMB (Capital Markets Board) — but your funds are not lost. Swiss lawyers submit directly to KuCoin's compliance team, bypassing standard support. 90%+ success rate.
KuCoin is not CMB-licensed in Turkey
CMB began licensing crypto exchanges in 2024; MASAK enforces AML compliance; Binance Turkey (Binfinity) was fined 8.2M TL (2022)
This matters because it determines which regulatory body has authority over your case — and whether you have a direct complaint path or need cross-jurisdictional legal action.
What this means for you: KuCoin is not registered with MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) + CMB (Capital Markets Board), so direct regulatory complaints are limited. However, KuCoin still operates under its home jurisdiction's AML laws (VARA Dubai (provisional license)). We submit legal documents directly to KuCoin's compliance team — not through standard support channels.
Your funds are not illegal. Using an unregistered exchange in Turkey does not make your crypto holdings illegal under Turkish AML Law No. 5549 + CMB crypto regulation. You may face tax reporting obligations, but the funds themselves are yours.
under Law No. 5549, you can file a complaint with MASAK; also BDDK (banking regulator) if bank account frozen
Under Turkish AML Law No. 5549 + CMB crypto regulation (2024), KuCoin must conduct customer due diligence and can freeze accounts during AML investigations. However, they must also:
If KuCoin doesn't meet these obligations, we escalate to MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) + CMB (Capital Markets Board) and file a formal legal submission. For a broader comparison of how Turkey's rules stack up against other jurisdictions, see our AML laws by country reference.
no specific crypto tax (2024); treated as asset; potential income tax under Income Tax Law
If your KuCoin account is frozen, you may still need to declare your crypto holdings on your Turkey tax return — even if you can't access them. Under Turkey law, the tax obligation may apply regardless of whether the funds are accessible. We recommend consulting a Turkish tax advisor.
If the freeze causes you to miss a tax deadline, we can provide documentation for the MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) + CMB (Capital Markets Board) and tax authority explaining the situation.
A Turkish client had €85000 frozen on KuCoin after requesting a large withdrawal. KuCoin flagged the transaction under Turkish AML Law No. 5549 + CMB crypto regulation (2024). The client had no access to funds for 14 days. We filed a formal submission with KuCoin's compliance team citing MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) + CMB (Capital Markets Board) guidelines and the client's transaction history. Within 14 days, KuCoin released the funds after our submission demonstrated compliance with Turkish AML Law No. 5549 + CMB crypto regulation (2024).
Details anonymized to protect client confidentiality. Swiss professional secrecy applies.
We analyze your KuCoin account, transaction history, and Turkey regulatory context to identify the exact trigger. Was it a Chainalysis risk flag? A sanctions screening match? A source-of-funds demand? Each requires a different strategy.
We prepare documentation compliant with Turkish AML Law No. 5549 + CMB crypto regulation — not just KuCoin's standard templates. This includes source-of-funds proof, transaction tracing, and any required MASAK-specific forms.
We submit through KuCoin's compliance channels — not standard support. Our submission is in Turkish and references MASAK guidelines. We coordinate with MASAK even though KuCoin is not registered.
We verify everything works and advise on preventing recurrence on KuCoin. If KuCoin doesn't respond within no statutory maximum; MASAK investigations can take 3-6 months, we escalate to MASAK and pursue cross-jurisdictional action in Seychelles (operations: Dubai, Singapore) if needed.
Tell us what happened. A senior crypto compliance lawyer — not a chatbot, not a junior — will read your case and respond within 6 hours. Swiss professional secrecy applies from your first message.