NCJ Number
223847
Date Published
June 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This paper provides an overview and assessment of the money laundering industry in digital currencies.
Abstract
Digital currencies provide an ideal money laundering instrument because they facilitate international payments without the transmittal services of traditional financial institutions. Digital currencies are privately owned online payment systems that allow international payments which are often denominated in the standard weights for gold and precious metals. Digital currencies allow account holders to electronically manipulate funds similarly to other types of funds transfer services with anonymity being a marketed characteristic of the digital currency industry. Drug traffickers increasingly rely upon the digital currency industry to launder and move funds, thereby enabling standardized international financial transactions and operating largely outside the regulatory requirements of the traditional banking system. Federal officials have acknowledged the need to close the regulatory loophole that exists in relation to digital currencies. However, United States regulatory action alone is not seen as sufficient to suppress the money laundering threat posed by digital currencies.