Workshop 5 – Regional workshop for Americas

Cybercrime involving virtual assets is rapidly growing in Latin America and Carribe, driven by the region's increasing adoption of digital financial services and limited regulatory enforcement. Criminal actors leverage the anonymity and decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies to facilitate fraud, ransomware attacks and the laundering of illicit proceeds. Dark web marketplaces and peer-to-peer exchanges, often operating with minimal oversight, provide a fertile ground for illegal transactions. While some countries in the region are making strides to strengthen their regulatory frameworks, e.g. in alignment with the Budapest Convention and its Second Additional Protocol, the absence of standardized protocols and robust international cooperation remains a major obstacle. As a result, judicial authorities often struggle to access key evidence stored on foreign servers or through decentralized exchanges, making it challenging to prosecute money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes linked to cryptocurrencies.

The regional workshop will offer the opportunity for LAC delegates to engage in an international cooperation simulation exercise, racing against time to solve 5 challenges that will address the follow the money and follow the data principles and enable participants to identify gaps and possible solutions enabling criminal justice authorities to fight against ilegal financial flows in the region.