Introductory Reading and Resources - Getting Started
Are you just getting started with crypto, or simply don’t know where to begin? These sites and resources can get you up to speed on how crypto works, how it’s used, and where risks lie.
Bitcoin for Beginners by Cointelegraph – A collection of useful guides on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies designed for those new to the space, covering everything from the basics of blockchain technology to the legal framework around crypto. View here.
Getting Started with Bitcoin by the Bitcoin Foundation – A guide designed to help individuals use Bitcoin, it covers how to obtain a wallet, obtain cryptocurrencies, and transact with them. View here.
Banking Bitcoin-Related Businesses – A Primer for Managing BSA/AML Risks – A whitepaper written for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, this is a good, non-technical read to understand the AML issues associated with cryptocurrencies, as well as the regulations around them. View here.
Bitcoin Laundering: An Analysis of Illicit Flows into Digital Currency Services by Elliptic – For those looking to understand how cryptocurrencies are used for illegal activity, this whitepaper that examines the use of Bitcoin in illicit transactions can be a good place to start. View here.
Open-Source Educational Resources - Going Deeper
Bitcoin Resource Page by Jameson Lopp – Wide-ranging collection of information and resources for nearly any level of crypto experience, from beginner to advanced. View here.
Online Course on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, from Princeton University – Offered through Coursera, this online course is a robust overview of the technical aspects of Bitcoin and beyond. View here.
News, Updates, and Perspectives
BitAML Blog – Well-informed news and guidance with a focus on financial crime compliance in the crypto space. View here.
Unchained Podcast – A well-known and well-regarded podcast in the crypto space. View here.
Quarterly Cryptocurrency AML Report by CipherTrace – A far-reaching and comprehensive look at events, regulatory changes and other relevant news in the crypto space each quarter. Find reports on their resource page or view the 2019 Q1 report here.
Practical Tools and Investigation Sites
Coin ATM Radar – Global map of locations of cryptocurrency ATMs, featuring address, types of coins, and additional details. View here.
Block Explorer – Tool to search Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum blockchains for addresses, transactions and blocks. View here.
BlockCypher – Another tool to search crypto blockchains, with a wider range of cryptocurrencies available to be searched than Block Explorer. View here.
CoinMarketCap – Tracks market capitalization, prices and other information on a large number of cryptocurrencies. View here.
Whitepaper, Webinars, and Books
Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System – The original whitepaper by the still-enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto that launched Bitcoin. View here.
Sanctions Compliance in Cryptocurrency Whitepaper by Elliptic – A report that explores how compliance officers can protect their businesses against exposure to cryptocurrency-related sanctions risks. View here.
Webinar: Managing Crypto Compliance Amid Global Regulatory Change by Elliptic – View here.
Books on Crypto and Related Topics: