Is the Travel Rule Being Weaponised? What Recent Arbiter Decisions Reveal About CASP’s Duty of Care

Recent rulings by Malta’s Arbiter for Financial Services signal a significant shift in how Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) must approach Travel Rule compliance. While historically viewed as a technical anti-money laundering (AML) requirement, the Travel Rule (Regulation (EU) 2023/1113) is increasingly being repurposed by the Arbiter as a core benchmark for a CASPs duty of care and fiduciary obligations toward retail consumers.