Law-enforcement requests to Coinbase rise 66% over the year.

The leading American exchange Coinbase over the year received 12,320 requests for the disclosure of customer information from law enforcement and regulatory authorities. This is 66% higher than in the previous period.

The review covers 12 months — from October 1 to September 30.

“Since last year’s report, the number of requests has more than doubled. We attribute this to a combination of our own expansion and the general rise in interest from law enforcement and regulators in the crypto industry,” commented Coinbase’s chief legal officer Paul Grewal.

About 57% of the requests originated outside the United States — up 6%. The majority of these requests were directed at the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.

In six European countries, the number of inquiries to Coinbase over the year rose by more than 100%. This includes Spain (+940%), Belgium (+400%), Italy (+281%), the Netherlands (+163%), Austria (+141%) and Ireland (+118%).

Twenty-one countries approached the exchange for information for the first time. In the previous year Russia sent five requests to Coinbase, but during the reporting period did not communicate with the company. Law enforcement and Ukrainian authorities made nine inquiries.

As in the previous period, the vast majority of requests (95.3%) relate to criminal cases.

“Requests may include subpoenas, warrants, orders, or other official legal procedures. We are obliged to respond to them if they are lawful under applicable financial and other rules,” said Grewal.

Coinbase counts more than 108 million customers worldwide.

In June, the exchange obtained a cryptocurrency custodian licence in Germany.

The company announced further expansion into European and other markets.

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