Money laundering and virtual money: the bitcoin example

Money laundering operations faced multiple changes and become more complex, in line with financial innovation. Often, regulation does not follow that innovation, giving opportunity to take advantage of thes e gaps in less lawful activities. The bitcoin is a virtual currency that has grown significantly, both in value and in volume of transactions, in recent years. The dimension of the phenomenon led to an increasing surveillance from the financial supervisors . We search for evidence of the relationship between money laundering and transactions carried out in bitcoins, the most popular virtual currency at the moment. We analyse the official publications relating the two themes, academic research and the notori ety within the international media. The attitudes toward the bitcoin are diverse, but all share concerns about its future impact. Some sparse evidence indicates that bitcoin may be an opportunity for money laundering, however more data is required.