Prof. Chris Brummer

As cryptocurrencies continue to reshape the financial landscape, the rise of decentralized finance and crypto trading platforms has introduced new opportunities and new challenges when it comes to maintaining market integrity. In recent years, the cryptocurrency space has witnessed a surge in trading activity, but with this growth comes the risk of market manipulation, insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, and other forms of market abuse. These practices can undermine trust in the market.

At this roundtable, we will be exploring the complexities of market abuse in cryptocurrency trading and regulatory frameworks that are evolving to address these challenges.

As global geopolitical tensions rise, progress towards regulatory harmonisation on digital assets has been increasingly imperilled, with divergent attitudes adopted across the United States, EU, and Asia.  

This panel brings together a much-needed conversation between industry leaders, central bankers and regulators on the global state of regulatory approaches towards stablecoins, digital assets, and crypto-currencies, how these different approaches will affect the global digital assets and payments ecosystem, and the role of international cooperation in developing cohesive regulatory frameworks. 

As technology advances, so do the tactics of illicit actors. Criminal networks are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to launder money, conduct fraud, and evade detection at unprecedented speed and scale. At the same time, these same technologies hold the key to turning the tide—enhancing transparency, accelerating detection, and strengthening financial crime controls.

This roundtable will explore the dual-use nature of AI and blockchain in financial crime, unpacking key questions such as:
- How criminals are weaponising AI for money laundering, fraud, and deepfake-driven scams—and how financial institutions can counteract these threats using AI-powered defenses
- How AI’s predictive capabilities and blockchain’s transparency can work together to enhance compliance, improve regulatory oversight, and disrupt criminal networks
- Emerging challenges, including AI bias, privacy risks, and the arms race between law enforcement and bad actors leveraging next-gen technology

By convening policymakers, financial industry leaders, and technology experts, this discussion will examine how we can turn these emerging technologies from a double-edged sword into a powerful force for financial security and integrity.