2021-10-18
The Governor of the National Bank of Serbia issued this Decision to establish the detailed conditions and procedures for maintaining electronic records of virtual currency holders. The regulation mandates that licensed service providers and specific holders submit data including identity details, virtual currency addresses, and transaction dates within strict deadlines to ensure accurate record-keeping. Access to these confidential records is restricted to authorized state authorities via secure applications, while service providers are required to fulfill technical submission conditions within thirty days of licensing.
RS Official Gazette, No 49/2021 Pursuant to Article 85, paragraph 7 of the Law on Digital Assets (RS Official Gazette, No 153/2020) and Article 18, paragraph 1, item 3) of the Law on the National Bank of Serbia (RS Official Gazette, Nos 72/2003, 55/2004, 85/2005 – other law, 44/2010, 76/2012, 106/2012, 14/2015, 40/2015 ‒ CC Decision and 44/2018), the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia hereby issues D E C I S I O N ON DETAILED CONDITIONS AND MANNER OF KEEPING RECORDS OF VIRTUAL CURRENCY HOLDERS Basic provisions
2 acquired the virtual currency for its own account, i.e. who is a holder of virtual currencies used in its own name and for its own account. 4. The National Bank of Serbia shall keep the Records of virtual currency holders in electronic form, based on the data taken over from the Business Registers Agency by official duty, as well as the data submitted by:
3 10) designation identifying the virtual currency user. 6. The Records of virtual currency holders shall contain the following data about the virtual currency holders referred to in Section 3, paragraph 1, item 2) of this Decision and paragraph 2 of that Section:
4 The virtual currency holder referred to in Section 3, paragraph 1, item 2) of this Decision shall electronically submit to the National Bank of Serbia the data referred to in Section 6 of this Decision, via the National Bank of Serbia’s website, except in the case referred to in paragraph 2 hereof. By way of exception from paragraphs 1 to 3 hereof, the National Bank of Serbia shall take over the data changes referred to in Section 5, items 1) to 3) and Section 6, items 1) to 3) of this Decision from the Business Registers Agency, by official duty. 8. The data from Section 7, paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Decision shall be submitted to the National Bank of Serbia immediately upon the establishment of a business relationship with the virtual currency user or execution of a virtual currency transaction, and/or upon the change of data referred to in those paragraphs, аnd no later than by 12.00 hours of the next day. By way of exception, the data on the virtual currency address from Section 5, item 7) of this Decision may be submitted upon the execution of the first virtual currency transaction if the service provider does not possess these data at the time of the establishment of the business relationship with the virtual currency user. The virtual currency holder referred to in Section 7, paragraph 3 of this Decision shall submit to the National Bank of Serbia the data referred to in Section 6 of this Decision within 15 days from every acquisition of the virtual currency by using the virtual currency address different from the virtual currency address in the Records of virtual currency holders pertaining to that holder, and/or within 15 days from the date of change of data from Section 6 of this Decision. 9. The service provider and virtual currency holder from Section 3, paragraph 1, item 2) of this Decision shall be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data submitted in accordance with this Decision, and the National Bank of Serbia shall be responsible for the identicalness of data from the Records of virtual currency holders with the submitted data. Accessing the data in the Records of virtual currency holders 10. Data in the Records of virtual currency holders shall not be publicly available and shall be subject to the provisions of the law governing digital assets relating to a business secret, as well as to the provisions of the regulations governing personal data protection. The National Bank of Serbia shall enable authorities and persons who are authorised to access the data in the Records of virtual currency holders
5 based on the regulations referred to in paragraph 1 hereof – to access those data exclusively via a special application solution, based on the received application signed by a qualified electronic signature. Except via a special application solution, courts and other competent authorities may also access these data based on a written request, in accordance with law. By way of exception from paragraph 2 hereof, the National Bank of Serbia may also enable direct access to data in the Records of virtual currency holders to: authorised persons in competent authorities in the criminal procedure, organisational units of the Ministry of the Interior in charge of financial investigation and high-technology crime, the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering and organisational units in the National Bank of Serbia whose scope of work includes the activities of the supervision of financial institutions and service providers, as well as the activities of supervision of foreign exchange operations between residents and non-residents – via a special application solution, in accordance with the technical capabilities which do not compromise the security of the National Bank of Serbia’s information system. The National Bank of Serbia may regulate in more detail, by technical guidelines, the manner of accessing data in the Records of virtual currency holders via the application solutions referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 hereof. Persons to whom the data from paragraph 1 hereof were made available may use such data exclusively for the purpose they were obtained for and may not communicate such data or submit them to third parties, or enable access to the data to those persons, except in the cases determined by law. The data from paragraph 1 hereof which pertain to a certain virtual currency holder may be submitted to such holder based on his request submitted in writing or in another appropriate manner, along with the copy and/or a scan of the ID card or copy of the passport of the legal representative or another authorised person. Ensuring technical conditions for data submission 11. A service provider licensed by the National Bank of Serbia to provide virtual currency services shall be obliged, within 30 days from obtaining such licence, to fulfil all technical conditions necessary for the submission of data to the National Bank of Serbia in accordance with this Decision and to inform the National Bank of Serbia thereof.
6 Immediately upon obtaining the National Bank of Serbia’s confirmation of the fulfilment of technical conditions for the submission of data to the National Bank of Serbia in accordance with this Decision, and no later than five days from the receipt of such confirmation, the service provider shall submit to the National Bank of Serbia the data referred to in Section 5 of this Decision about virtual currency users with whom a business relationship has been established, and/or a virtual currency transaction has been executed in the period since the licence from paragraph 1 hereof was obtained and until the receipt of the National Bank of Serbia’s confirmation from this paragraph. Closing provision 12. This decision shall enter into force on the eighth day following its publication in the RS Official Gazette and shall apply as of 29 June 2021. Decision No 9 G o v e r n o r 13 May 2021 National Bank of Serbia B e l g r a d e Dr Jorgovanka Tabaković, sign.