Project Update
OSCE is developing a new e-learning course on cryptocurrency investigations
- Issued on:
- Issued by:
- Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, OSCE Secretariat
- Fields of work:
- Policing, Economic activities, Good governance
On 10 and 11 June, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) organized a review workshop for a new OSCE e-learning course on cryptocurrency investigations.
The workshop brought together ten experts on cryptocurrencies and anti-money laundering from the Complexity Science Hub Vienna, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG), INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Kingdom Metropolitan Police Service, and the private sector.
The experts reviewed the draft training materials for the new e-learning course and provided input and suggestions to further enhance their operational relevance for law enforcement, financial intelligence units and other competent bodies involved in financial investigations and analysis across the OSCE area.
“Being able to effectively investigate crimes involving cryptocurrencies is an ever more important part of the policing toolkit in the digital age. Yet there is a lack of training materials for law enforcement on this crucial topic. This development of this course is another example of how the OSCE is supporting law enforcement authorities in the participating States to develop the skills they need to protect their populations from cybercrime,” said Martha Stickings, Deputy Head of TNTD Strategic Police Matters Unit and Adviser on Cybercrime.
“The development of this e-learning course represents a scalable and sustainable approach to capacity-building, enabling law enforcement authorities and practitioners to institutionalize specialized expertise in blockchain analysis, transaction tracing, and cryptocurrency-related investigations, thereby strengthening their long-term ability to address emerging financial crime risks linked to virtual assets,” highlighted Zurab Sanikidze, Senior Project Officer and Project Manager at OCEEA.
The new OSCE e-learning course will provide practitioners with the foundational knowledge and practical skills required to investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes. It covers the full spectrum of cryptocurrency investigations, from foundational concepts and technologies, through main analytical and investigative methods to regulatory frameworks, with particular attention to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism standards. The course will be available to relevant national authorities of the OSCE participating States as part of the Organization's broader capacity-building efforts in combating financial crimes and cybercrime.
The workshop was supported through the OSCE extrabudgetary project “Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money-laundering risks of virtual assets”, with support from Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States.