Crypto-Assets & Crime: Exploiting Opportunities and Exercising Control in Fraud, Ransomware Attacks, and Money Laundering

This book examines the rise of fraud, ransomware attacks, and money laundering within the crypto-asset ecosystem. It introduces the innovative “Control-Opportunity Nexus” (CON) framework to explain how criminals exploit technological opportunities when regulatory and governance controls are weak. Drawing on 15 expert interviews and analysis of international policy documents and private sector reports, the volume explores why crypto-asset exchanges and related platforms have become crime promoters. It highlights the systemic gaps that allow crime promoters to thrive and offers practical strategies for rebalancing control through improved governance, legal adaptation, and global cooperation. Representing a unique contribution to criminological theory and cyber and economic crime research, this book will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, financial regulators, and practitioners seeking to understand and mitigate risks in digital financial ecosystems.