Russian sanctions could speed up moves to regulate crypto; and the action-packed 1MDB trial

MLex Market Insight

When the global community announced economic sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, a consensus quickly developed that cryptocurrencies may offer Moscow a way to sidestep the tough measures. Yet despite their seemingly secretive nature, cryptocurrency transactions can be traced and early signs are that they aren’t posing a significant threat to the sanctions regime. Nonetheless, the Ukraine crisis has highlighted concerns about crypto trading and now authorities are preparing to consider the regulation of the currencies. Also on today’s podcast: the 1MDB scandal hits a New York courtroom. The honesty of a key witness in the bribery trial of a former Goldman Sachs banker has come under sustained pressure in court.