Oil is central to the growth of the global economy and maintenance of political stability. But for an industry that plays such an important role in both shaping and maintaining the world around us, its business model is quickly becoming outdated. As the industry struggles to adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing and politically charged world, some of the largest oil companies are looking to modernize through blockchain. Moreover, governments around the world are struggling to come to terms with the consequences of climate change, and the extraction of fossil fuels does nothing to help reduce emissions. As …

It’s a new decade with an old problem for law enforcement officials: How do you stop cybercriminals from stealing billions of dollars in cryptocurrency and using it for illicit purposes? These kinds of criminal activities range from selling illicit drugs, firearms, documents, identities and ransom schemes, to flat out stealing assets — more than $40 billion was noted as fraudulent in the first nine months of 2019, according to a Chainalysis report. The report highlights that illicit activity doubled from 0.04% in 2018 to 0.08% in 2019. While this percentage is still small, some in the crypto community note that …

Deribit, a crypto futures and options exchange that is moving from the Netherlands to Panama to avoid Europe’s new Anti-Money Laundering law has released its newly updated Know Your Customer (KYC) policy. In a Jan. 17 blog post, Deribit clearly said that its relocation to Panama has been mainly caused by the new Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD), a major European law that aims to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing by stricter regulation of crypto-related businesses. While 5AMLD was enforced on Jan. 10, 2010, 5AMLD has not been adopted in the Netherlands to date, but is still expected to come …

Britain’s tax agency is inviting contractors to provide a tech tool to help Britain’s tax agency combat crypto cybercriminals. What the agency wants The technology, which Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) posted on Jan. 17 in an open contract call worth 100,000 pounds sterling, should gather intelligence through cluster analysis. The HMRC’s Cybercrime team hopes this will help them correlate crypto-asset transactions with service providers. As opposed to free online tools and human analysis that exist, HMRC reportedly believes a commercial product would help the agency illuminate the blind spots that currently allow criminal activity to fester. HMRC wants …

A militant group with ties to the Iranian regime and Hamas — the de facto ruling authority of the Gaza Strip in Palestine — is allegedly upping its Bitcoin (BTC) fundraising activities. The spur for the increase is reportedly a slump in resources, compounded by Iran’s recent rejection of the group’s request for financial support. An analysis of the group’s activities was detailed in a cyber desk report from the IDC’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), as reported by the Jerusalem Post on Jan. 19. “Irregular increase” in wallet activities The ICD-ICT cyber desk report claims there has been an …

A new study by Chainalysis finds that terrorists are refining their financing operations using cryptocurrencies. Faster and broader funding Earlier today, Jan. 17, the blockchain analysts identified Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), Hamas’s military arm as the first confirmed case of a designated terrorist organization using cryptocurrency to aid their activity. AQB used a website to generate a new Bitcoin address for each donor to deposit funds. It included a how-to video on donating with maximal anonymity. Compared to similar earlier campaigns, AQB raised as much money and garnered more donors but in less than half the time. Cryptocurrency has …

The House Financial Services Committee has raised concerns over the use of cryptocurrencies to fund domestic terrorism in the United States. In a Jan. 15 hearing, the FSC Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy has examined how U.S. financial institutions can combat domestic terrorism, extremism and acts of hate. Titled “A Persistent and Evolving Threat: An Examination of the Financing of Domestic Terrorism and Extremism,” the hearing featured five witnesses reporting on various fundraising methods used by organized domestic extremists. Particularly, the officials and executives have outlined crypto as an important fundraising tool for hate crimes, emphasizing …

No global stablecoin project will begin operation in the European Union (EU) until the associated risks to monetary sovereignty are addressed, according to EU authorities. In a joint statement adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Commission (EC), the Council and the Commission admitted that stablecoins may be effective at providing cheap and fast payments, but they have far more risks and challenges. The statement was approved by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), one of the oldest configurations of the Council, on Dec. 5, based on the data in an official document released in …

The United States Deputy Treasury Secretary argued that decentralized privately-issued digital currencies can shift some functions from the state to the private sector. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin Muzinich presented his view on the emerging ecosystem of financial intermediation and digital currencies at an annual banking and payments conference in New York on Nov. 21. The keynote by Muzinich was published on the official website of the United States Department of the Treasury. The recent conference was co-hosted by the U.S. Clearing House and Bank Policy Institute. Illicit uses of crypto are “one of the issues at the top …

Cryptocurrencies came to life as a counterweight to the global financial restrictions that are powered by banks and regulators through the use of fiat. Therefore, it is fitting that Bitcoin (BTC) broke into the limelight in 2009 and raised a lot of controversies right form the start. By design, all blockchain transactions are recorded on an immutable ledger. Therefore, even though it would take immense work, skilled auditors like Ernst & Young are able to find irregularities — as opposed to fiat, which it is claimed that 99.9% of money laundering is not prosecuted by regulators. Early on, criminals quickly …

Director for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee at a hearing on security threats facing the United States. On Nov. 5, during the hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs, senators asked leaders from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center questions on topics including counterterrorism efforts, foreign influence in elections, cybersecurity measures, border security, and of course, cryptocurrencies. FBI might find itself walled off by new technology Former Presidential Candidate and Republican Senator from Utah, Mitt Romney, asked the intelligence officers …

The Australian Minister of Home Affairs Peter Dutton warned that terrorists are exploiting cryptocurrencies to “fund their deadly missions.” During a counter-terror conference in Melbourne on Nov. 7, Dutton said that the anonymity of cryptocurrencies allow extremists to avoid scrutiny. He stated that the increased use of digital currencies, stored-value cards, online payment systems and crowd-funding platforms may provide new channels through which terrorism can be financed, adding: "The anonymity afforded by such technologies enables terrorist financiers to obfuscate their activities.” Dutton, who leads the Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for immigration, border control, domestic security and law …