Titolo progetto
Follow the money: criptocurrencies and criminal organizations.
Abstract:
The research project will analyze the phenomenon of the use of cryptocurrencies by criminal organizations (namely, Mafia), focusing on the financial (University of Padua) and legal aspects (University of Palermo) of such a phenomenon. Specifically, the research project will address three different but complementary issues: the use of cryptocurrencies to finance illegal trafficking, the use of cryptocurrencies as a money laundering tool, and those legal prevention instruments to limit their usage by criminal organizations.
By exploiting a unique dataset of relevant events for mafia organisations, the research group analyzes six primary issues:
1) the use of cryptocurrencies by organized criminal organizations;
2) the patterns of use of cryptocurrencies in illegal trafficking;
3) the development of a model, based on artificial intelligence, which predicts illegal activities (e.g., drug trafficking, corruption, and infiltration of public organizations and public procurements), by relying on abnormal volumes of cryptocurrency flows;
4) the abnormal flow cryptocurrencies around the participation of mafia-connected firms in emergency public procurements;
5) the application problems of preventive measures, both at ablative and therapeutic dimension;
6) the identification of useful solutions for the implementation of appropriate organizational key risk indicators to detect and prevent the commission of money laundering crimes.
To the best of our knowledge, this research represents the first systematic attempt to analyze the use of cryptocurrencies by criminal organizations. However, existing research has neglected the use of cryptocurrencies by Mafia. Therefore, we bridge the research on the Mafia with the evidence on the use of cryptocurrencies, trying to shed light on the intersection between cryptocurrency markets and criminal organizations.
Responsabile Scientifico
Prof. Costantino Visconti
Partecipanti interni
Prof. Enzo Bivona