BitZlato

http://bitzlato.com

cex

Bitzlato (Bitzlato Ltd.)

Bitzlato was a centralized cryptocurrency exchange (CEX) that operated primarily as a crypto-to-crypto trading venue and was known in the market for serving a largely Russian-speaking user base and for offering lightweight customer identification/KYC compared with major regulated exchanges. (justice.gov)

Website

• Canonical domain referenced in reporting and official materials:
  text http://bitzlato.com/

  (Access/availability has varied; during enforcement actions the site was reported as seized.) (euronews.com)

Corporate / operating footprint (as described by U.S. authorities)

• U.S. authorities described Bitzlato as a Hong Kong–registered exchange with global operations. (justice.gov)

Law-enforcement and regulatory actions (key points)

• January 2023 (U.S. DOJ action): The U.S. Department of Justice (EDNY) announced charges against Anatoly Legkodymov, described as Bitzlato’s founder and majority owner, alleging operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business and failures around U.S. AML-related safeguards. (justice.gov)
• January 18, 2023 (FinCEN special measure): FinCEN identified Bitzlato as a “primary money laundering concern” in connection with Russian illicit finance and issued an order. (fincen.gov)
• Effective February 1, 2023: Under that FinCEN order, covered financial institutions were prohibited from engaging in certain transmittals of funds to/from Bitzlato (including specified accounts/addresses administered by or on behalf of Bitzlato). (fincen.gov)
• December 2023 (guilty plea reported): Legkodymov was reported to have pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to operating an unlicensed money services business, with reporting also stating he agreed to dissolve Bitzlato as part of the plea arrangement. (cointelegraph.com)

Bitcoin-community context (why Bitzlato was discussed)

In Bitcoin circles, Bitzlato is mainly referenced as an example of a custodial CEX that attracted flow due to low friction onboarding, and then became a high-profile case study for how AML/BSA enforcement can rapidly sever an exchange’s banking/rail access and disrupt user withdrawals when infrastructure/domains are seized or operations are halted. (fincen.gov)