Cryptocurrency and the new illicit economy
On November 10, 2026, the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics and the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication at the Stockholm School of Economics will host an event in cooperation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective. Experts will examine cryptocurrency’s role in illicit finance and possible responses.
About
Cryptocurrency has become a key tool for laundering proceeds from organized crime, funding armed conflict, and evading sanctions. Policy responses are struggling to keep up with the technology.
On November 10, 2026, the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) and the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication (CSSC) at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) will host a half-day event on the topic. The event is organized in cooperation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC).
The speakers are leading investigative journalists, academic researchers, central bank economists, blockchain analysts, and financial-sector experts from across Europe. They will discuss about how crypto is being exploited in practice, from scams and insider trading on prediction markets to war financing and evading sanctions.
The event will also present the Illicit Finance Data Lab, a new model of cooperation between journalists and researchers. Speakers will discuss how regulators, financial institutions, governments, and civil society can respond more effectively.
Keynote speakers
Bernard Haslhofer – Research Group Lead, Complexity Science Hub
Haslhofer leads research on digital currency ecosystems, focusing on cryptoasset analytics, decentralized finance, and digital crime. He co-founded Iknaio Cryptoasset Analytics, is a court-certified expert in IT and cryptoasset forensics, and teaches at TU Wien.
Kristine Bagdasaryan - OSINT Researcher, Transparency International – Russia (in exile)
Bagdasaryan investigates financial crime, illicit cryptocurrency flows, money laundering, and sanctions evasion. She uses open-source intelligence (OSINT), data analysis, and interviews to investigate cross-border illicit financial flows.
Panel 1 - Emerging Risks
Daniela Baluțel – Research Economist, National Bank of Moldova
Baluțel is also a Research Affiliate at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași and the University of Orléans. Her research covers digital finance, cryptocurrencies, central bank digital currencies, financial literacy, and banking development.
Emil Hellerud – Investigative Journalist, Kalla fakta (TV4)
Hellerud’s reporting includes The Hunt for Mr Niche, which revealed the extraction of approximately SEK 400 million from the Bittensor crypto network, and investigations into political disinformation. His work has earned major Swedish journalism awards, including Stora journalistpriset and Guldspaden.
Nick Smart – Chief Intelligence Officer, Crystal Intelligence
Smart leads intelligence operations and oversees platform security and resilience at Crystal Intelligence. With more than 20 years of experience in intelligence and security, he focuses on cryptocurrency analysis, threat intelligence, and risk management for financial institutions, regulators, and crypto platforms.
Moderator
Alexandra Gillies – Chief Impact Officer, OCCRP
Gillies works to connect investigative journalism with anti-corruption efforts. She also directs the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium, a partnership with Transparency International. Previously at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, she is also the author of Crude Intentions.
Panel 2 - Real-world cases of investigating illicit crypto
James Dowsett – Regional Editor and Investigative Reporter, OCCRP
Dowsett covers Iran, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). His investigations have examined cryptocurrency exchanges accused of financing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the digital payment systems behind international fraud networks.
Michael Hornsby – Co-Director, Anti-Corruption Data Collective
Hornsby also convenes the Illicit Finance Data Lab, bringing journalists and researchers together to investigate corruption and illicit finance, including the misuse of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. He previously held communications roles at Transparency International and adelphi.
Gabriel Söderberg – Associate Professor of Economic History, Uppsala University
Söderberg is also affiliated with the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm. Previously a financial sector expert at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he researches the evolution of money and payment systems, particularly their connections to geopolitics and illicit networks.
Moderator
Anna Anisimova - Researcher at the Stockholm Insitute of Transition Economics (SITE)
Program
The full program will be announced closer to the event date.
Registration
Attendance is free, but registration is required. Registration will open soon. Please check back for updates.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at site@hhs.se.
