Money Laundering

Money laundering conceals the origins and movement of illicit proceeds from activities such as fraud, smuggling and sanctions evasion by routing them through financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges or mule accounts. Recent cases include U.S. prosecutions involving cryptocurrency fraud, a global Interpol crackdown and the use of CoinEx by sanctioned Iranian entities to transfer funds. The issue also extends to Southeast Asian scam compounds and banks’ internal controls. Continued scrutiny can shed light on shifts in cross-border criminal networks, cryptocurrency money flows, law-enforcement cooperation and gaps in financial regulation.