Abstract
Purpose – The paper focuses on the need for an enhanced anti-money laundering (AML) regulation for decentralised finance (DeFi) to protect the integrity of global financial systems against illicit activities. Research highlights the requirement for a robust regulatory strategy for the fast-paced DeFi evolvement.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employed doctrinal legal research by analysing legislation which involved creating use cases to illustrate different aspects of potential illicit activities via the DeFi ecosystem. Various DeFi applications were assessed for the potential regulatory responses and outcomes.
Findings – The paper offers valuable insight into the regulatory challenges presented by DeFi. The study addresses the blind spots leveraged by criminals afforded by the DeFi's decentralised nature. The paper offers a comprehensive examination of DeFi regulatory challenges based on use-case scenarios and provides recommendations for regulators on how to address them effectively.
Originality/value – The paper proposes measures for regulatory authorities to minimise money laundering risks through new channels such as decentralised exchanges, non-custodial wallets and cross-chain bridges. The article concludes with the future directions for DeFi regulation and AML compliance.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employed doctrinal legal research by analysing legislation which involved creating use cases to illustrate different aspects of potential illicit activities via the DeFi ecosystem. Various DeFi applications were assessed for the potential regulatory responses and outcomes.
Findings – The paper offers valuable insight into the regulatory challenges presented by DeFi. The study addresses the blind spots leveraged by criminals afforded by the DeFi's decentralised nature. The paper offers a comprehensive examination of DeFi regulatory challenges based on use-case scenarios and provides recommendations for regulators on how to address them effectively.
Originality/value – The paper proposes measures for regulatory authorities to minimise money laundering risks through new channels such as decentralised exchanges, non-custodial wallets and cross-chain bridges. The article concludes with the future directions for DeFi regulation and AML compliance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 80-97 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 11 Dec 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Jan 2024 |
Bibliographical note
© Vladlena Benson, Umut Turksen and Bogdan Adamyk. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited.This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may
reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and
non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full
terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Keywords
- AML regulation
- Blockchain
- Cross-chain bridge
- Cryptocurrency
- Decentralised finance
- Non-custodial wallet