The Illicit Finance Hydra: Crypto, Sanctions Evasion, and the New Financial Battlefield

Join the Stanford University Libraries on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 from 5:30 -6:30 pm for a presentation by Alexander Browder on crypto-based money laundering activity across the globe, spanning 164 cases and 20 years.

Event Description

Cryptocurrency is rapidly reshaping illicit finance and the enforcement of international sanctions. Alexander Browder, founder of the Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database, will discuss what he learned from analyzing major cases spanning two decades, including the growing use of digital assets and stablecoins by Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other illicit actors. He will explore how crypto networks can enable sanctions evasion, state-backed activity, and money laundering, and what governments, financial institutions, and technology companies can do in response. Browder will also discuss how his research resulted in the UK, EU and other countries addressing this emerging threat, and ultimately led to him being sanctioned by the Russian government in June 2026.

Speaker Biography

Alexander Browder is a financial-crime researcher and founder of the Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database (launderingdatabase.org), the first and largest open-source global database focused on cryptocurrency laundering. He is the author of “Confronting the Illicit Finance Hydra in Crypto Markets”, published by the Henry Jackson Society in March 2026. He is an associate fellow at the HJS and a research associate at the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. Browder has presented his research in the UK and EU Parliaments, advised policymakers on sanctions and illicit finance, and have been interviewed by news organisations around the world. In June 2026, Russia placed him on its entry-ban list following his work investigating Russian cryptocurrency-based sanctions evasion activity.

RSVP Information

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required in advance. Please visit the RSVP Form to register.