US Treasury calls for increased oversight of foreign cryptocurrency exchanges

Deputy Secretary of State Adewale O. has expressed concern about the increasing use of virtual assets by terrorist groups and state actors such as the DPRK and Russia. He emphasized the need for effective targeting to combat this trend, warning that without Congressional action, the use of virtual assets by these actors will continue to grow.

Interest in cryptocurrencies from criminals is on the rise, prompting authorities in various countries to take steps to combat such transactions. In October 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that Palestinian militants had received at least $134 million in digital assets.

However, an analytics company suggested that the data previously presented about Hamas’ cryptocurrency collection may have been exaggerated in the Wall Street Journal article.