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Understanding Cryptocurrency and Its Use in Money Laundering Schemes

A practitioner's guide to cryptocurrency as a money laundering channel, written for the Indian regulatory setting. You start with what an investigator must understand about blockchains, wallets, stablecoins and exchanges, then work through India's framework: virtual digital assets under PMLA since March 2023, FIU-IND registration for offshore and domestic exchanges, Section 115BBH tax and 1 percent TDS as an investigative trail, and FATF Recommendation 15 with the Travel Rule. The core of the course maps the laundering typologies in use today, from mixers, privacy coins and chain hopping to DeFi bridges, NFT wash trading, P2P mule networks and crypto-hawala rails. You then learn how blockchain tracing works, what analytics tools can and cannot prove, and how to spot crypto exposure in bank and exchange data. Indian cases anchor the theory: the ED's instant loan app probe, the GainBitcoin Ponzi and the 2024 WazirX hack. The course closes with an investigation and risk framework playbook. Educational content only, not legal or investment advice. Built for senior forensic auditors, chief compliance officers and financial crime investigation professionals.

Blockchain Fundamentals for InvestigatorsVDAs Under PMLA and FIU-INDCrypto Laundering TypologiesBlockchain Tracing and AnalyticsIndian Crypto Crime CasesCrypto Investigation and Risk Frameworks
MODULES
6
DURATION
4 Hours
TRACK
Forensic Accounting & Compliance

What You'll Master

Read a blockchain transaction and explain what it does and does not reveal about the parties
Explain how virtual digital asset service providers came under PMLA and what FIU-IND registration requires
Use the VDA tax and TDS trail as a source of investigative evidence
Recognise the main crypto laundering typologies across placement, layering and integration
Describe how on-chain tracing and address clustering work, and where their conclusions stop
Spot crypto-linked red flags in bank statements, exchange records and transaction monitoring alerts
Plan a crypto forensic investigation and a crypto risk framework for a regulated entity
Access Level
LEARNER
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Everything included
Full Text Playbooks
Actionable Exercises
Mobile Reading Mode
Lifetime Updates

Curriculum Breakdown

Chapter 1: Crypto Fundamentals for Investigators

3 Lessons
▶
How Blockchains Work: Ledgers, Addresses and Transactions for Investigators13 min read
Preview
▶
Bitcoin, Ethereum and Stablecoins: What Each Means for Traceability13 min read
▶
Wallets, Exchanges and the Virtual Asset Service Provider Ecosystem12 min read

Chapter 2: India's Legal and Regulatory Framework

3 Lessons
▶
Virtual Digital Assets Under PMLA and FIU-IND Registration14 min read
▶
The VDA Tax Trail: Section 115BBH, 1 Percent TDS and Schedule VDA12 min read
▶
FATF Recommendation 15, the Travel Rule and Offshore Exchanges13 min read

Chapter 3: Crypto Laundering Typologies

4 Lessons
▶
Placement, Layering and Integration in a Crypto World13 min read
▶
Mixers, Privacy Coins and Chain Hopping14 min read
▶
DeFi, Cross-Chain Bridges and NFT Wash Trading14 min read
▶
P2P Trading, Mule Accounts and Crypto-Hawala Rails14 min read

Chapter 4: Blockchain Forensics

3 Lessons
▶
Tracing Funds On Chain: Clustering Heuristics and Address Attribution14 min read
▶
Blockchain Analytics Tools and the Limits of What They Prove13 min read
▶
Spotting Crypto Exposure in Bank and Exchange Data13 min read

Chapter 5: Indian Case Studies

3 Lessons
▶
Case Study: Instant Loan Apps, Exchanges and the ED Crypto Probe14 min read
▶
Case Study: GainBitcoin and Crypto Ponzi Schemes in India13 min read
▶
Case Study: The 2024 WazirX Hack and State-Backed Laundering13 min read

Chapter 6: The Practitioner's Playbook

2 Lessons
▶
Running a Crypto Forensic Investigation: Evidence, Seizure and Chain of Custody14 min read
▶
Building a Crypto Risk Framework for a Bank or Regulated Entity13 min read