Share this article
Illicit Cryptocurrency Use Targeted in Proposed 2018 FBI Budget
Cryptocurrency is being cited by the FBI as a reason it needs to increase its spending in an effort to combat more advanced cybercrime.
By Wolfie Zhao
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 1:28 p.m. Published Jun 22, 2017, 3:25 p.m.
The FBI is requesting $21m and 80 new employees in a bid to investigate emerging tech that could help the agency combat cybercrime.
In a budget request for fiscal year 2018, sent on 21st June, Andrew McCabe, acting director of the FBI, testified to the White House that the agency is facing what it believes are significant challenges in gaining access to digital information – even when it has the legal authority to do so. This notably includes cases that involve "drug traffickers using virtual currencies to obscure their transactions".
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
It is also the same narrative that the FBI's former Director James Comey put forth last month before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The challenge, the agency has said, is that the FBI now requires more financial resources to investigate technologies and decipher information transmitted on the darknet. Elsewhere, it is also engaging in dialogues with companies that provide such technology to educate them on the "corrosive effects" that information inaccessibility has on "public safety and the rule of law".
, the privacy-encrypted digital currency Monero , for example, drew attention from FBI for similar reasons.
A special agent working at the FBI's Cyber Division in New York City said at an event that the agency has concerns such technology will set roadblocks for criminal investigations.
"Developing alternative technical methods is typically a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process," the agency said.
FBI image via Shutterstock
Больше для вас
Что нужно знать:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
Больше для вас
Barclays Sees ‘Down-Year’ for Crypto in 2026 Without Big Catalysts
Spot trading volumes are cooling, and investor enthusiasm is fading amid a lack of structural growth drivers, analysts wrote in a new report.
Что нужно знать:
- Barclays forecasts lower crypto trading volumes in 2026, with no clear catalysts to revive market activity.
- Spot market slowdowns pose revenue challenges for retail-focused platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood, the bank said.
- Regulatory clarity, including pending market structure legislation, could shape long-term market growth despite near-term headwinds.
Top Stories
