Poland’s president proposes new crypto regulation bill

Poland’s president has submitted a second bill to regulate the country’s cryptoasset market, his chief of staff said on Tuesday, calling it an attempt to break a deadlock with the government over the issue.

Zbigniew Bogucki, head of Poland’s presidential chancellery, announces a new bill to regulate the country’s cryptoasset market at a news conference in Warsaw on Tuesday.PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the presidential chancellery, told reporters that no bill currently exists from the governing coalition or the opposition Left party, while legislation proposed by the Poland 2050 party remains stalled.

He said President Karol Nawrocki had put forward a new proposal for the second time, drawing on calls from the prime minister and other cabinet members for the market to be regulated quickly.

The bill is based on the government’s own, third attempt at crypto regulation, Bogucki added, saying only „minimal good will” from the ruling coalition was needed to reach a compromise.

Under previous proposals, a warning mechanism for suspicious activity involved what Bogucki called a „blind freeze” on accounts, acting only after funds had already disappeared.

The presidential version would instead require mandatory communication with investors before any payment is made, alongside compulsory warnings for people looking to put money into cryptoassets.

Extending an account freeze would also require court approval, rather than a decision by an official, as under the coalition’s bills.

According to Bogucki, the government’s resistance to such judicial oversight showed it was afraid of Poles seeking „often justified” rights before a judge.

The presidential proposal would also guarantee compensation from the state treasury when officials act wrongly and cause harm.

PM Tusk accuses president’s office of „panic” over crypto bill

Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed the president’s new crypto bill as nearly identical to his previous proposal, saying it showed „panic” in the presidential palace.

He also accused Bogucki, of previously backing an amendment — pushed by collapsed crypto exchange Zondacrypto — that would have stopped the state blocking websites harming Polish investors.

President Nawrocki vetoed the government’s crypto regulation bill for a third time in June.

Poland’s parliament failed to overturn that veto last Friday.

(ał)

Source: PAP

Radio Poland