Share this article
FinCEN Hires DOJ Crypto Czar as First ‘Chief Digital Currency Advisor’
Michele Korver will advise FinCEN Acting Director Michael Mosier on cryptocurrency's role in financial crime.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:21 p.m. Published Jul 6, 2021, 2:59 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said Tuesday it's adding a "Chief Digital Currency Advisor" to its ranks.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Michele Korver, who joined the U.S. Department of Justice as its first "Digital Currency Counsel" in late 2017, will consult with FinCEN Acting Director Michael Mosier on cryptocurrency's role in financial crime.
The hire offers another sign that FinCEN is re-upping its crypto focus.
"Ms. Korver will advance FinCEN’s leadership role in the digital currency space by working across internal and external partners toward strategic and innovative solutions to prevent and mitigate illicit financial practices and exploitation," FinCEN said in a press statement.
Although this is the first position of its kind at FinCEN, it’s not the first time the agency has hired someone with crypto experience. Mosier himself used to work at blockchain sleuthing firm Chainalysis as its chief technical officer.
Read more: Cryptocurrencies Are on FinCEN’s First ‘National Priorities’ List
Earlier this year, Korver wrote a section explaining how cryptocurrencies may be used by criminals in the Department of Justice's Journal of Federal Law and Practice.
Alongside co-author Alexandra Comolli, Korver wrote that crypto will likely be decreasingly associated with money laundering as it becomes more widely accepted.
"In the early days of cryptocurrency, a great deal of activity was tied to illegal conduct on the dark web, which is why the shuttering of dark web marketplaces could impact the value of bitcoin," she wrote. "But as mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency has grown, the percentage of transactions used to promote or conceal crime has also decreased."
Nate DiCamillo contributed reporting.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Ukraine banned Polymarket and there’s no legal way for it to come back
Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.
What to know:
- Ukraine has no legal framework for Web3 prediction markets, and current legislation provides no recognition for such platforms.
- Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.
- Legal changes are unlikely in the near future, as Parliamentary revisions to gambling definitions are extremely improbable during wartime, leaving prediction markets in a legal deadlock.
Top Stories
