Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the money laundering process itself, how cryptocurrencies have been integrated into this process, and how regulatory and government bodies are responding to this new form of currency.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a theoretical paper that discusses cryptocurrencies and their role in the money laundering process.
Findings
Cryptocurrencies eliminate the need for intermediary financial institutions and allow direct peer-to-peer financial transactions. Because of the anonymity introduced through blockchain, cryptocurrencies have been favored by the darknet and other criminal networks.
Originality/value
Cryptocurrencies are a nascent form of money that first arose with the creation of bitcoin in 2009. This form of purely digital currency was meant as a direct competitor to government-backed fiat currency that are controlled by the central banking system. The paper adds to the recent discussions and debate on cryptocurrencies by suggesting additional regulation to prevent their use in money laundering and corruption schemes.
