Veto on Crypto Bill Sustained Amid Polish Political Feud

Poland’s bid to introduce comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation was halted Friday when parliament sustained a presidential veto. The government argues this leaves the nation exposed in a financial domain susceptible to laundering and foreign espionage, particularly from Russia.

The struggle over the digital assets bill is a fresh manifestation of the bitter power struggle between the country’s liberal premier and its nationalist president. This institutional gridlock persists despite official warnings of heightened external threats.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk made a direct appeal for the legislation, telling lawmakers, “This market is without a doubt highly open to abuse by overseas services, intelligence bodies, and mafias. We must arm the state with the necessary instruments to ensure it is not impotent.”

Tusk provided a classified security briefing to parliament before the public debate. In a subsequent online post, he depicted the result as a clear-cut contest: “Russian money and services versus the security of the state and citizens.”

The proposed law was designed to implement the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. Its provisions would have allowed Poland’s financial regulator to supervise the cryptocurrency market and would have established criminal penalties for misconduct related to digital tokens.