Following yesterday's extremely heavy volume (Tokyo Whale?) plunge in Bitcoin, regulators in Japan have cracked down on seven cryptocurrency exchanges (and ordered month-long suspensions for two more).

Interestingly, prices were relatively stable as the news hit (perhaps yesterday's selling was pre-emptive?)

As CoinTelegraph reports, the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) has sent “punishment notices” to seven crypto exchanges and temporarily halted the activities of two more after a round of inspections prompted by January’s Coincheck hack, CNBC reports Thursday, March 8.

The FSA issued business improvement orders for a lack of “the proper and required internal control systems” to seven exchanges, including Coincheck, which was specifically cited as lacking a system for preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

image courtesy of CoinTelegraph

Exchanges Bit Station and FSHO are to be closed for one month from today, according to CNBC. The FSA reported that a senior Bit Station official used exchange customers’ Bitcoin (BTC) for personal purposes, and Bit Station has ended its application for registering as an exchange.

The hack of more than $500 mln of NEM from the Japanese Coincheck crypto exchange has been attributed to the fact that the coins were stored on a low-security hot wallet. In the aftermath of the hack, the FSA inspected Coincheck and ordered all Japanese crypto exchanges to submit reports on their risk management systems.

The FSA also announced in mid-February on-site inspections of 15 Japanese crypto exchanges, those currently awaiting registration, of their computer safety system measures.

Coincheck had promised customers to refund all stolen coins, a statement supported by the FSA, who confirmed through CNBC that Coincheck had enough funds to do so and would be releasing a reimbursement plan later today.