Both good and bad, it depends on what you are trying to do. For example, you can choose to deal with "heavily regulated" companies since there is less risk of them running away with the money. If you are an idealistic freedom seeker then the KYC/AML trend is not a good sign for the future. Please note, in a free market companies and individuals could be certified (and KYC'ed) by trusted independent authorities (i.e. similar to Consumer Reports), which eliminates the centralized Gov't control.