The top darknet markets in 2026 and the hidden exposure risks they create for licensed exchanges. Learn how to protect your business.
Fraud is no longer a fragmented, opportunistic threat. It has become a coordinated, technology-enabled global industry — one that generates tens of billions in losses annually and intersects directly with money laundering and terrorism financing.
Yulia Murat, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Global Ledger, attended the Global Fraud Summit organised by UNODC and INTERPOL, held on 16–17 March 2026 in Vienna, Austria. The event brought together law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, regulators, and technology providers to address the growing scale of cyber-enabled fraud and identify the most effective response strategies. Below are the key takeaways shared by Yulia.
Yulia Murat, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Global Ledger, at the Global Fraud Summit 2026
Yulia Murat, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Global Ledger, at the Global Fraud Summit 2026
3-1
Yulia Murat, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Global Ledger, at the Global Fraud Summit 2026
Global Fraud Summit 2026: Key Insights
The Global Fraud Summit 2026 highlighted the industrialisation, globalisation, and increasing sophistication of fraud ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on coordination, data, and financial disruption as the most effective countermeasures.
1. Fraud is systemic, global, and central to financial crime frameworks
Cyber-enabled fraud has evolved into a large-scale global industry. In East and Southeast Asia alone, annual losses are estimated at $40 billion, with scam centres now operating across multiple jurisdictions. These centres often exploit weak governance environments and are linked to serious organised crime, including human trafficking.
Fraud is firmly positioned as a predicate offence for both money laundering and terrorism financing. This reinforces the need to treat fraud not as a consumer protection issue, but as a core financial crime risk.
2. The human factor remains the primary attack vector
Fraud continues to exploit predictable behavioural patterns rather than technical vulnerabilities. Core persuasion techniques remain consistent:
3. Typologies are stable, but execution is evolving
Common fraud typologies remain consistent:
However, execution is becoming more sophisticated through technology, particularly AI-enabled impersonation (voice cloning, facial simulation, caller ID spoofing).
4. Fraud ecosystems rely on digital infrastructure — including cryptocurrency
Fraud operations depend on a broader ecosystem of platforms and services, including online marketplaces, communications infrastructure, and payment rails. Targeting these strategic enablers (e.g. large-scale marketplaces facilitating illicit activity) is emerging as a key disruption strategy.
Cryptocurrency is frequently used as an enabler, rather than the origin point of fraud. In many cases, proceeds are initially obtained through traditional channels and rapidly converted into crypto.
Key implications:
- Tracing capabilities must extend across fiat-to-crypto transitions
- Speed is critical due to rapid fund movement
- Asset freezing mechanisms (where available) are operationally important
5. Data is the critical constraint
Effective fraud response depends heavily on the quality and timeliness of data, particularly from victims.
A layered, multi-source data approach is required, combining:
- financial intelligence
- telecom and platform data
- blockchain analytics
- network-level intelligence
6. Operational model: detect, disrupt, freeze
A recurring operational pattern is emerging:
- detection and attribution
- rapid freezing of funds
- blocking further activity
Speed and coordination across jurisdictions and sectors are decisive factors in success.
7. Public–private collaboration is necessary but not sufficient
Information sharing between public and private sectors is already well established. The next challenge is coordination:
- Aligning priorities across jurisdictions
- Operationalising shared intelligence
- Creating small, focused, outcome-driven working groups
8. Emerging priority risks
Two areas received particular attention:
- Online child sexual exploitation and abuse
- Sextortion
Both are increasingly intertwined with financial fraud mechanisms and require integrated responses across law enforcement, financial institutions, and technology platforms.
Conclusion
Fraud is operating at a systemic level, and the financial infrastructure that enables it, including cryptocurrency, is a key point of intervention.
For the global ecosystem, including compliance teams, this raises a direct challenge. Fraud proceeds increasingly flow through crypto as a rapid conversion and obfuscation layer, moving across blockchains faster than traditional workflows can track. Without real-time cross-chain visibility, these flows can appear normal — or simply disappear from view — before any alert is triggered.
Global Ledger provides real-time transaction monitoring with AI-powered risk alerts, cross-chain fund flow tracing, and entity exposure reports — enabling teams to identify suspicious activity before funds move further into the ecosystem.
FAQ
