<s>
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
cryptocurrency	O
exchange	O
based	O
in	O
Luxembourg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
trading	O
between	O
fiat	O
currency	O
,	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
and	O
other	O
cryptocurrencies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
USD	O
,	O
EUR	O
,	O
GBP	O
,	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
,	O
ALGO	O
,	O
XRP	B-Protocol
,	O
Ether	B-Application
,	O
litecoin	B-Protocol
,	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
cash	I-Protocol
,	O
XLM	B-Protocol
,	O
Link	O
,	O
OMG	O
Network	O
,	O
USD	B-Protocol
Coin	I-Protocol
or	O
PAX	O
deposits	O
and	O
withdrawals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
founded	O
as	O
a	O
European-focused	O
alternative	O
to	O
then-dominant	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
exchange	O
Mt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
is	O
headed	O
by	O
CEO	O
Nejc	O
Kodrič	O
,	O
a	O
widely	O
known	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
community	O
,	O
who	O
co-founded	O
the	O
company	O
in	O
August	O
2011	O
with	O
Damijan	O
Merlak	O
in	O
his	O
native	O
Slovenia	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
moved	O
its	O
registration	O
to	O
the	O
UK	O
in	O
April	O
2013	O
,	O
then	O
to	O
Luxembourg	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
outsourced	O
certain	O
operations	O
to	O
the	O
UK	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
adequate	O
financial	O
and	O
legal	O
services	O
in	O
Slovenia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
incorporating	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
approached	O
the	O
UK	O
's	O
Financial	O
Conduct	O
Authority	O
for	O
guidance	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
told	O
that	O
bitcoin	B-Protocol
was	O
not	O
classed	O
as	O
a	O
currency	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
exchange	O
was	O
not	O
subject	O
to	O
regulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
says	O
that	O
it	O
instead	O
regulates	O
itself	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
best	O
practices	O
to	O
authenticate	O
customers	O
and	O
deter	O
money	O
laundering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
Luxembourgish	O
government	O
granted	O
a	O
license	O
to	O
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
to	O
be	O
fully	O
regulated	O
in	O
the	O
EU	O
as	O
a	O
payment	O
institution	O
,	O
allowing	O
it	O
to	O
do	O
business	O
in	O
all	O
28	O
EU	O
member	O
states	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
Nexon	O
was	O
rumored	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
talks	O
to	O
purchase	O
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitcoin	B-Protocol
Magazine	O
reported	O
that	O
people	O
behind	O
the	O
attack	O
sent	O
a	O
ransom	O
demand	O
of	O
75	O
bitcoins	B-Protocol
to	O
Kodrič	O
,	O
who	O
refused	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
company	O
policy	O
against	O
negotiating	O
with	O
“	O
terrorists	O
”	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
suspended	O
its	O
service	O
after	O
a	O
hack	O
during	O
which	O
less	O
than	O
19,000	O
bitcoins	B-Protocol
were	O
stolen	O
,	O
reopening	O
nearly	O
a	O
week	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
was	O
among	O
ten	O
platforms	O
that	O
responded	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
noted	O
that	O
of	O
these	O
ten	O
,	O
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
was	O
among	O
the	O
seven	O
that	O
confirmed	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
sought	O
approval	O
,	O
directly	O
or	O
through	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
State	O
Department	O
of	O
Financial	O
Services	O
(	O
“	O
DFS	O
”	O
)	O
to	O
operate	O
a	O
virtual	O
currency	O
business	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
State	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
two	O
exchanges	O
that	O
claimed	O
to	O
block	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
exchange	O
by	O
VPNs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
providing	O
fee	O
policies	O
,	O
Bitstamp	B-Protocol
also	O
claimed	O
to	O
conduct	O
audits	O
of	O
their	O
virtual	O
currency	O
holdings	O
.	O
</s>
