Is Terrorist Use of Cryptocurrencies Overblown?

There has been a lot of concern about how cryptocurrencies are used by terrorist groups to finance their operations, especially since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th. So in this week’s episode, we’re investigating that question – do terrorist groups actually use cryptocurrency? We discuss what is known about terrorist financing, where the hysteria around cryptocurrency comes from, and the challenges around adopting more effective international countermeasures.

Archie Macfarlane is joined by Stephen Reimer, an Associate Fellow with the Centre for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI). He is also an Adjunct Professor at the SciencesPo Paris School of International Affairs, where he lectures on financial intelligence and security.

You can read a transcript of this episode here. 

If you want to find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on X, where you can find resources on this topic. 

Resources:

• Stephen Reimer’s research at RUSI
• TAT Podcast: Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K): A Growing Threat?
• TAT Podcast: Media Jihad: Islamic State's Resurgent Propaganda Network