The perceived threat for the potential misuse of crypto in terrorism financing has recently increased, argue Dan Wise and Harley Thomas

Cryptocurrencies and digital assets are increasingly under scrutiny, particularly after the recent high-profile conviction of disgraced former crypto exchange boss, Sam Bankman-Fried.

In this exclusive article for the IFC Economic Report 2024, Dan Wise and Harley Thomas examine what role – if any – crypto can, or might be, playing in funding terrorist organisations and what might be done in response to that threat.

✍️ As they write:

“The introduction of reformative legislation is to be welcomed. However, legislation alone is not enough to tackle the problem. Private sector organisations such as crypto exchanges must also play a pivotal role in the war against terrorism financing.

“It is paramount to recognise the co-operative relationship required between public sector law enforcement agencies and private sector entities such as crypto exchanges. Absent real pressure from regulatory and law enforcement authorities, officials are seldom willing to contribute the necessary resources and priority to those tasks which can be seen as an overhead, not a revenue generator.”

READ MORE in (pgs 27-29) IFC Economic Report 2024 or full version on website.