Bitcoin exchange abandons Poland even as the government invites it to a working group

In a delightful bit of irony BitBay, a Central European exchange, has shut down operations in Poland even as it received an invitation by the Polish government to participate in a national blockchain working group. The news, which appeared in a Tweet, states that the group will assess regulations for cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and ICOs.

“Our exchange has received an invitation from the PFSA to participate in the Blockchain Working Group. As we have recently said, we do not want to abandon crypto activity in the Polish community,” wrote BitBay.

Nasza giełda otrzymała zaproszenie z KNF do udziału w pracach Grupy roboczej ds. Blockchain. Jak zapewnialiśmy ostatnio, nie porzucamy aktywności na rzecz polskiej społeczności krypto. @k_wysota @Bitcoin_org_pl @comparic @bithub @Marta_Bellon @MichWasowski @_ZajacPiotr @macdac pic.twitter.com/bxhu4EGWvJ

— BitBay (@BitBayPolska) May 30, 2018

Poland has had an odd relationship with Bitcoin. First, some of the central banks funded a YouTube propaganda video that showed a person losing plenty of cash in crypto. Further, the community is fighting back but releasing counter-propaganda to the central bank’s policies.

After being shut out by Polish banks, BitBay moved its headquarters to Malta and stopped serving Polish customers.

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