The Coinbase exchange has been blocking the accounts of all French users for 24 hours. They are invited to answer a questionnaire to regain access to the platform’s functionalities.
Coinbase blocks French users
The Coinbase exchange has been blocking the accounts of French users since Wednesday, December 16. In addition, no notice was given. Affected users can no longer buy , sell or withdraw their cryptocurrencies.
The exchange requires additional verification in the form of a questionnaire . In particular, the client’s professional situation and the frequency of investments are requested . Once this additional information has been validated, customers regain full access to the exchange.
How to explain the blockage? This decision could echo the recent tightening of regulations in France concerning identity verification procedures on platforms. Indeed, Bruno Le Maire presented on December 9 an ordinance (n ° 2020-1544) in the Council of Ministers modifying customer knowledge processes.
Technical problems and warning message
Additionally, Coinbase has experienced several service disruptions following the historic Bitcoin movement. On Wednesday, the exchange was inaccessible for nearly 2 hours . Coinbase a statement : „Coinbase.com experiencing connectivity issues. “
Coinbase regularly experiences technical difficulties during times of high influence. However, Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, recently said the exchange is currently working on a site upgrade.
In an official post this Thursday, December 17, Coinbase also highlighted the risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies and mentioned that digital assets are more volatile than traditional financial instruments. We can read in the disclaimer :
“While it’s great to see the markets recover, we cannot stress enough the importance of understanding that investing in cryptocurrency is not without risk. „