Interpol Hosts Latest Digital Currency Conference in Middle East

International law enforcement groups and government agencies are hosting a conference on money laundering and digital currencies this week.

Backers of the event, runninghttps://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-media/News/2017/N2017-002 between 16th and 18th January, include Interpol, Europol (the European Union’s top police agency) and the Qatar National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee, a unit of the emirate’s central bank. The event is being held in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Local news sources report that during the event, deputy central bank governor Sheikh Fahad Faisal Al-Thani (who also chairs the AML committee) called for more collaboration among law enforcement agencies worldwide during investigations involving the tech.

He was quoted by The Peninsula as saying:

“We expect from this conference to contribute in enhancing the capacity of the relevant competent authorities in conducting investigations in any crimes related to virtual currencies; and in establishing a network of practitioners and experts of this field.”

Interpol has held similar events in the past, and the organization has even created its own digital currency to assist in training exercises.

Last March, Interpol held a four-day war game involving law enforcement officials from more than sixty countries during which a fictional blackmailer demanded payment in bitcoin.

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