Article 19 Retention of information on the originator and the beneficiary accompanying the transfer

Article 19 establishes a straightforward but critical record-keeping and transmission obligation for intermediary crypto-asset service providers — those sitting in the middle of a transfer chain, between the originating and beneficiary crypto-asset service providers.

It is the crypto-asset equivalent of Article 10, which sets the same obligation for intermediary payment service providers dealing with transfers of funds.

In short, intermediaries must not strip or lose originator and beneficiary information as it passes through them; they must keep it intact, pass it on, and make it available to competent authorities upon request.

Important points:

• Ensure all originator and beneficiary information accompanying a transfer of crypto-assets is transmitted with the transfer — do not let it be lost or stripped in transit.
• Retain records of that information and make them available to competent authorities on request.
• This obligation applies specifically to intermediary crypto-asset service providers, not to the originating or beneficiary crypto-asset service providers.