Analysis of countries' criminal policies towards cryptocurrencies and the need to formulate laws

Abstract

Following social developments and the evolution of money, humans thought of inventing money that no central institution could monitor, and the advancement of computer science gave rise to the idea of ​​forming digital money in their minds; to the extent that cryptocurrencies entered the world of economics. The entry and spread of cryptocurrencies in societies has affected not only economics, but also law, to the extent that some thinkers believe that cryptocurrencies have become a tool in the hands of criminals and are used in most cases for criminal activities. The complexity and dynamism of this emerging phenomenon have confused governments in dealing with it, and we are currently witnessing the adoption of various criminal policies towards this emerging technology. This article, based on library sources in the form of description and analysis, after examining and analyzing the approach of countries, especially the United States, due to its leadership in dealing with cryptocurrencies, and our beloved country of Iran, will seek to answer the question of whether dealing with this phenomenon requires the formulation of a law. It is clear that because cryptocurrencies are being traded internationally; countries should seek to adopt a common criminal policy while using each other's experiences. The achievement of this research is to familiarize people, especially government officials and legal experts, with this emerging social phenomenon in order to adopt the correct approach to prevent the criminal functions of cryptocurrencies and adopt a proportionate and reasonable criminal policy.