Stablecoins: The Crypto of Choice for Sanctions Dodgers and Large-Scale Launderers
Stablecoins have become both core crypto “plumbing” and a key rail for the most consequential forms of crypto-enabled crime, with illicit activity increasingly concentrated in a handful of large, sanctions-linked networks.
U.S. Oversight of MSBs is Weakest in Years as Crypto Usage Surges
Cryptocurrency usage is surging in the United States. You wouldn’t know that from the number of federal examiners tasked with supervising the industry for anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance though.
Bankers to Create Alternative to Mastercard and Visa to Shield UK from Trump
Senior UK banking figures are set to hold their first meeting this week to establish a British alternative to Visa and Mastercard, amid growing concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump could one day use his position to close off access to the payment rails.
Crypto’s Rising Role in Forced Labor, Sex Trafficking, and CSAM
Cryptocurrency flows to suspected human trafficking services surged 85% in 2025, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services.
Bill Would Take on Criminals Seeking to Circumvent AML Laws
Two U.S. senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would subject informal-value transfers and blank checks to anti-financial crime laws and strengthen the hand of prosecutors pursuing money-laundering charges.
How Funny Money Helps Russia Skirt Western Sanctions
Fake banknotes resembling Monopoly money are being used to move rubles over borders as part of an effort to circumvent Western sanctions on the Russian Federation, according to new reporting by the Financial Times.
Top Democrat to Probe Trump’s $500m Crypto Deal with UAE ‘Spy Sheik’
A top Democratic lawmaker has opened a congressional probe into the $500-million investment deal between representatives of Abu Dhabi’s “spy sheik” and the Trump family’s crypto firm World Liberty Financial, The Wall Street Journal reported.
U.S. Investigates Sharp Rise in Iran’s Crypto Activity
U.S. investigators are examining whether specific cryptocurrency platforms have helped Iranian officials and state-linked actors evade sanctions as crypto activity in Iran surges, a blockchain researcher with direct knowledge of Treasury’s concerns told Reuters.
Deutsche Bank Raid Focused on Same Years as Earlier BVI Probe
German authorities raided Deutsche Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt and a separate office in Berlin as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Airwallex Faces AML Audit over Concerns of Child Sex Abuse Funding
Australia’s financial intelligence unit has ordered Singapore-based Airwallex to review whether the payments giant has violated the nation’s anti-money laundering (AML) laws.