The Satoshi laundromat: a review on the money laundering open door of Bitcoin mixers
| Date | 12 January 2023 |
| Pages | 416-426 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-11-2022-0269 |
| Published date | 12 January 2023 |
| Author | Kenneth See |
The Satoshi laundromat: a review
on the money laundering open
door of Bitcoin mixers
Kenneth See
Asian Institute of Digital Finance, National University of Singapore,
Singapore, Singapore
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the currently known techniques to tackle money
laundering in Bitcoin mixers, and examine what gaps exist that would allow a criminal to get away with
launderingBitcoin obtained through illicit activities.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper first establishes the relevantproperties of Bitcoin, how
transactions occur over the Bitcoin network and then introduces the Bitcoin transaction graph as an
importantdata structure for any analysis of Bitcoin transactions. Next, the paperoutlines how Bitcoin mixing
works, along with the relevant propertiesof mixers that would be relevant for money laundering. The paper
then assesses the known methodsfor identifying mixed transactions within the Bitcoin network,followed by
an assessmenton identifying money laundering activitieson known mixed transactions.
Findings –This paper argues that there remains a gap for criminals to launder money through Bitcoin
mixing services as knownmethods would unlikely be able to trace a tainted transaction thatgoes through a
decentralized mixer that uses off-chain communication techniques to coordinate the mixing and charges
randomizedmixing fees.
Research limitations/implications –The study of known methodsis restricted to literature published
in the public domain. There are private organizationsthat are tackling similar problems, but their methods
are not publishedand therefore cannot be included in this paper.
Originality/value –To best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper that performs a
contemporaneous reviewon anti-money laundering in the context of Bitcoin mixing. This paper could assist
regulators and policymakers intheir understanding of Bitcoin mixers and provide guidance on wherethey
should focustheir resources to address the money laundering problemof Bitcoin mixing.
Keywords AML, Money laundering, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, DeFi, Mixer
Paper type General review
1. Introduction
Money laundering can be definedas the integration of funds obtained through illegal means,
also known as dirty money, into the legal economy, which mostly consists of clean money.
Once laundered, the dirty money becomes difficult to distinguish from clean money and
thus criminals will be able to easily spend their illegal funds. At a high level, the
money laundering process is performed in three steps: placement, layering and insertion
(Frunza, 2015).
Historically, financial institutions provided avenues for criminal syndicates to
dissociate their funds from illicit activities (Frunza, 2015). Therefore, modern financial
institutions are subject to heavy know-your-customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering
(AML) regulations. In the USA, bills such as the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986,
Annunzio-Wylie Anti-Money Laundering Act of 1992 and Money Laundering and
Financial Crimes Strategies Act of 1998 subjects financial institutions with heavy
JFC
31,2
416
Journalof Financial Crime
Vol.31 No. 2, 2024
pp. 416-426
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1359-0790
DOI 10.1108/JFC-11-2022-0269
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1359-0790.htm
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