The Role Decentralised Non-Regulated Virtual Currencies Play in Facilitating Unlawful Financial Transactions.

As consumer payment services have been developed at a rapid rate in recent years, the introduction to the market of decentralised, non-regulated cryptocurrencies has enabled a significant increase in acts of criminality in the cyber environment. Efforts to combat and curb the continued growth of such illicit activities have included the development, implementation and enforcement of legislation and regulations by governing authorities on a global scale. For the purpose of this thesis, interviews were conducted with several industry experts and governmental officials specializing in the use of virtual currencies for illicit financial transactions, namely fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. While the extent to which decentralised, non-regulated payment services actually contributes to illicit financial transactions remains unclear, it can certainly be said that as the use of new and emerging virtual currencies increases, so too will acts of criminality in the cyber world.