Consob Orders Blackout of More Unauthorized Crypto Sites

Italy's financial watchdog Consob has ordered the blackout of seven additional websites for illegally offering cryptocurrency-related financial services to Italian investors. The action comes under powers granted by the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) and Legislative Decree No. 129 of September 2024, which allow regulators to block online services lacking proper authorization.

The blacklisted domains include "09pqws.it," "DSS776.it," "ERY357.it," "TNT882.it," "ZeroTrillionWorld.it," "ZGV796.it," and "78DEF.it." These platforms were found to be operating without the required regulatory approvals. Since receiving blackout authority in July 2019, Consob has now ordered the takedown of 1,376 such websites.

The blackout will be carried out by internet service providers operating in Italy, although Consob notes that full implementation may take several days due to technical limitations.

Consob reiterated its call for investors to conduct proper due diligence before engaging with any online financial services. In particular, the regulator emphasized verifying whether the operator is authorized and whether a prospectus or white paper has been made available for any financial products being offered. The full list of blacked-out websites is available on Consob's official website.