Over the last week there has been a growing chorus of voices, particularly among certain US senators and congressmen, claiming cryptocurrency is being used to fund terrorism, supporting the likes of the Hamas organization and other terrorist groups. They are now calling for investigations into USDT issuer Tether and exchanges like Binance US.
While we support investigating such allegations, it's equally important to for the industry to immediately shut down any attempts by established anti politicians to fabricate, or exaggerate the claims.
The allegations against Tether and Binance US stem from a Wall Street Journal report that claims these crypto entities facilitated transactions involving individuals and entities subject to U.S. sanctions. The report further suggests that Tether used U.S. bank accounts for potentially suspicious transactions.
If There's Proof, It's Been Hard To Find...
Blockchain analysis company Elliptic says it has found no evidence to support the claims of The Wall Street Journal. They argue that the data has been misinterpreted.
Binance and Tether are so sure the story is wrong that they are urging the U.S. government to verify the facts, saying the Wall Street Journal's report contained misleading statements. Both have unequivocally stated they operate under a strict zero tolerance policy when it comes to providing services to anyone linked to terrorism.
If Shady Journalists and Politicians are Successful in Linking Crypto to Terrorism, We Could See A New Level Of Government Aggression.
The allegations that organizations like Hamas used crypto assets to raise funds before attacks in October have far-reaching implications. They not only affect the cryptocurrency sector but also muddy the waters when it comes to regulatory clarity for the crypto ecosystem in the United States.
No surprise, it's the usual crew of tech-illiterate politicians, the ones we've seen having over-emotional meltdowns during various capitol hill hearings on crypto, who are pushing this narrative now.
Led by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown, the senators recently told the press they've written to the White House demanded answers about the role of cryptocurrencies in recent events, specifically attacks against Israel. They've also questioned the White House about its plans to prevent the use of cryptocurrencies for terrorist financing.
What they're doing is obvious - making sure they can still say 'We never claimed crypto was being used to fund terrorism' - and instead they just 'asked what we can do to prevent that from happening' - fully aware that this advances a misconception that crypto is key to shutting down terrorism financing, all while lacking any supporting evidence.
What's ironic in all of this, is that traditional banks have had a long history of being caught, knowingly or unknowingly, moving funds for everything from terrorists to cartels.
Where are those bankers today? Still fully operational and controlling billions.
ING helped Iran move billions while under sanctions, they paid $619 million in fines. Standard & Charterer's also paid fines of $340 million after hiding being caught hiding records of Iranian clients transactions. Or HSBC who basically became the official bank of Mexican drug cartels - leading to a fine of 1.9 BILLION.
In Closing...
Instead of rushing to judgment, it's crucial to conduct thorough investigations and present concrete evidence The truth is, if there is any crypto being used to fund terrorists, there's no signs any company has helped them, and the amount must be so small that it isn't enough for researchers to spot on the blockchain.
Therefore, we must openly refuse to accept more blame than banks whos violations involved MUCH larger amounts.
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Author: Jules Laurent
Euro Newsroom |
