Connect with us
Active Currencies 16047
Market Cap $3,767,709,822,868.10
Bitcoin Share 52.88%
24h Market Cap Change $5.29

Hungary seizes $1 mln in crypto assets citing tax evasion

2min Read

Hungarian authorities have seized crypto assets worth $1 million from a group allegedly involved in tax evasion.

hungary crypto

Share this article

  • Hungary is not known to be very receptive towards crypto even as MiCA comes into force in the EU.
  • However, the country launched a CBDC project last month.

Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) has seized crypto assets worth $1 million from a group due to tax evasion, a local business magazine reported.

NAV carried out raids on 28 locations in one day, arresting three members of the group. Authorities arrested two members for budget fraud, and detained the third upon his return from Tunisia. Authorities suspect the group of evading taxes worth three billion Hungarian forints ($8.29 million).

The group operates in the consumer electronics trade. They allegedly acquired these electronic devices tax-free from the European Union (EU). Then sold them through a series of front companies to evade taxes.

Hungary’s central bank not too receptive to crypto

When China and Russia banned crypto, György Matolcsy, the governor of Hungary’s central bank, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), proposed last year that the EU should also follow the suit in putting a blanket ban on crypto trading and mining. He claimed that crypto could service illegal activities and tend to build up financial pyramids. He opined,

It is clear-cut that cryptocurrencies could service illegal activities and tend to build up financial pyramids… The EU should act together in order to preempt the building up of new financial pyramids and financial bubbles.

Instead, individuals and companies based in the EU could own crypto assets outside the EU and regulators would track their holdings, Matolcsy proposed.

There has not been much change in Hungary’s stance regarding crypto even as Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) comes into force in the EU. However, the country’s approach is a little different when it comes to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

Matolcsy issued a statement last year that all central banks should have the full authority to issue their CBDCs. A month ago, the country’s central bank launched its CBDC project in collaboration with a fintech company, Perfinal. Anikó Szombati, Chief Digital Officer at the central bank, said,

… a central bank not only has to cooperate with FinTechs, but also, feel and act like FinTechs, exploring and serving client needs with the help of agility and technology.

But crypto crimes continue to be a menace for all the countries, and Hungary’s situation is no different.

Share

Saman Waris works as a News Editor at AMBCrypto. She has always been fascinated by how the tides of finance and technology shape communities across demographics. Cryptocurrencies are of particular interest to Saman, with much of her writing centered around understanding how ideas like Momentum and Greater Fool theories apply to altcoins, specifically, memecoins. A graduate in history, Saman worked the sports beat before diving into crypto. Prior to joining AMBCrypto 2 years ago, Saman was a News Editor at Sportskeeda. This was preceded by her stint as Editor-in-Chief at EssentiallySports.
Read the best crypto stories of the day in less than 5 minutes
Subscribe to get it daily in your inbox.
Please check the format of your first name and/or email address.

Thank you for subscribing to Unhashed.