The popular idea is Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are the tools for processing illicit and criminal activities around the globe. But we have learned it is global banks that moved some $2,000,000,000,000 ($2 trillion) worth of suspicious transactions for criminals around the world. According to Buzzfeed News it turns out, "
Deadly Terror Networks And Drug Cartels Use Huge Banks To Finance Their Crimes." Buzzfeed obtained thousands of documents that detail how the banks profit. The documents contained private banking information about public figures and senior government officials around the world — along with suspected criminals and organizations tied to terrorism.
More than 2,100 “suspicious activity reports” were filed from 1999 to 2017. These reports are required when there are signs of money laundering or other potential crimes. These transactions could be linked to drug dealers, terrorists, human traffickers and other illicit operations. But after filing the reports the
big banks continued to process most of the transactions and collect the associated fees. These documents compiled by banks,
shared with the government, but kept from public view, expose the hollowness of banking safeguards, and the ease with which criminals have exploited them. Profits from deadly drug wars, fortunes embezzled from developing countries, and hard-earned savings stolen in a Ponzi scheme were all allowed to flow into and out of these financial institutions,
despite warnings from the banks’ own employees, according to the documents.
Since the story broke shares in finance giants Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase and HSBC have tumbled. The volume of transactions and amount of money involved make the "Dark Web", cyber-criminals, crypto exchange hackers and other bad actors look like amateurs.
In light of these reports governments, securities regulators and executives at global financial institutions have some explaining to do.
They have been raking tremendous profits for executives and shareholders by moving dirty money.Interestingly the leaked documents stem from a congressional investigation into the 2016 U.S. presidential election. We are less than 45-days away from the 2020 elections.
Why do these gatekeepers cast doubt about supporting crypto while laundering trillions of dollars for global crime cartels?