Small people use crypto as tool for their crimes but most have legitimate use.

[Stalker22]

Every time some politician or headline screams "crypto is for bad guys," you need to remember the reports prove them wrong.

FATF and UN reports show that the vast majority of money laundering and terrorist financing is still done through the traditional financial system (banks, offshore accounts, real estate, cash).  Simply put: criminals still prefer cash and complex banking schemes due to higher volume and less tracing in some phases.

It is quite easy to understand why there is a smear campaign against crypto in the media.  Central banks and governments fear losing their monopoly on money, and they will do whatever it takes to retain their power.  Your crypto wallet threatens their authority, so they will employ unethical means to maintain control of the monetary system.

[nakamura12]

In my opinion, cryptocurrency is not for bad people only but for everyone although some people use it for bad things or illegal things that's why I think why you said that it's for bad people only because they use it for bad things like money laundering. Because of that even the casinos now ask for KYC as a way to stop people from using their platforms to launder money. Being decentralized is what I think the reason why they choose it since it isn't easy to track the funds from a wallet to another wallet since there's no identity link to the wallet address.

[Rengga Jati]

Yes, just like with fiat currency, there are some people who use it for criminal purposes, right? And not all criminal acts involving fiat currency can be traced to their origins and flow. So, there's really no difference, right?

However, it's undeniable that cryptocurrency-related crimes are increasing day by day compared to previous years, and these crimes are also becoming more diverse and professional. Based on the data I've read from several sources, the confirmed data is only a small percentage.

However, no matter how serious the crime is, if it is related to crypto, it will immediately become bad news, FUD, and also become a very big rumor for the development of the crypto market, because the media will seem to make it into a very big news, the bad influence of crypto on life.

maybe can see this article:
2025 Crypto Crime Trends)

[CryptoYar]

Ongoing media attacks on crypto, in which you rightly note that argument that crypto is only used by bad people is not true, since huge majority of crime is done using fiat money and traditional banking system. It is also true that you are correct that it is easy to find where Bitcoin and other main cryptocurrencies come from, but main problem with negative media reports is that crypto threatens power of central banks and governments, which use their influence to cause Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt means FUD to create resistance and stop people from using new technology.

[jossiel]

So, main stream media works for central bank and spread only bad things about crypto.
I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

The narrative has changed a lot after all of those years. The thought of people about Bitcoin mainly has changed because it's now being adopted and the big names in the finance industry are investing on it.

People would be curious why they're doing that where in the first place, they've called it as something bad and used for these illegal matters.

But not anymore today, before it did delayed Bitcoin's adoption and now they're also helping to its adoption when they're reporting what's happening in the market and all progress that happens.

[Alphakilo]

So, main stream media works for central bank and spread only bad things about crypto.
I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

The narrative has changed a lot after all of those years. The thought of people about Bitcoin mainly has changed because it's now being adopted and the big names in the finance industry are investing on it.

People would be curious why they're doing that where in the first place, they've called it as something bad and used for these illegal matters.

But not anymore today, before it did delayed Bitcoin's adoption and now they're also helping to its adoption when they're reporting what's happening in the market and all progress that happens.

These days we are seeing critics turn high end investors and it is all because Bitcoin refused to fail, but it surpassed their low expectations all round with proof of work for all to see.
I think regulations have done a lot more to settle the issue of money laundering because I believe it was just a front for the FBI and other government agencies to control and understand Bitcoin and crypto currencies to the full extent.

Corruption will always be in existence because evil people don't sleep and I believe bitcoin will continue to innovate way beyond just strategic reserve banks and partial adoption for everyday transactions purpose and that puts away the fears or FOMO or FUD that was initially experienced when Bitcoin emerged and launched into the crypto currency market.

[PrivacyG]

I would like to know if these journalists writing about Bitcoin being used in crime ever used a knife to cut ingredients, a razor to shave their beard or legs, a lighter to light up a candle, tape to pack a box.  Do they know they are using crime tools?

The Great Britain is by this logic stupid for not banning knifes and razors because it would stop all knife crime it seems.  So would banning tape, because kidnapped victims will be able to scream, so would banning lighters because some people are set on fire using them.

Ban bottled beers too, because bottles are used as molotovs at protests.

[Renampun]

There are many people who try to manipulate opinions to corner Bitcoin and make it look so bad in the eyes of many, they make it seem as if Bitcoin is only a tool for money laundering, illegal transactions, and other criminal activities, which makes people doubt and not want to get involved in it. but the fact is that this narrative is very easy to debunk since the percentage of Bitcoin used for illegal activities is much smaller compared to conventional cash, and Bitcoin offers transparency which makes it easier to track. so what is said by those who view Bitcoin negatively is actually baseless and does not need to be listened to because it is only propaganda aimed at protecting their interests.

[Smack That Ace]

Major resistance to crypto adoption is the fact people don't understand how it works, don't have interest in learning and are used to use only what the government tells them to use. It has always been like this, and even though adoption increased along the time, it didn't grow too considerably in order to claim it has become widespread in society.

Actually, investments in general are something most people aren't into too, so it wouldn't be different with Bitcoin. Most people are used to spend every single cent they earn monthly until they receive the next wage. That is the mentality of average citizens in the world. It's just a minority who goes ahead and think on long term gains and goals.

There is no denying that governments and banks have been major barriers to bitcoin adoption as they considered it illegal and advised people to stay away from it. But that is no longer true as they have legalized and integrated it into their system.

You are right, the barrier to bitcoin adoption is that the overall global investment demand is not as large as we imagine. Not many people are interested in increasing their wealth by investing in financial assets. Instead, they focus on spending, saving, or engaging in other areas like business to make a profit. Only a small percentage of the population participates in financial investments.

Even with a physical asset that has been around for thousands of years like gold, many people still don't want to hold and invest in it, let alone online investment products like stocks and bitcoin.

[Rustam Meraj]

There are many people who try to manipulate opinions to corner Bitcoin and make it look so bad in the eyes of many, they make it seem as if Bitcoin is only a tool for money laundering, illegal transactions, and other criminal activities, which makes people doubt and not want to get involved in it. but the fact is that this narrative is very easy to debunk since the percentage of Bitcoin used for illegal activities is much smaller compared to conventional cash, and Bitcoin offers transparency which makes it easier to track. so what is said by those who view Bitcoin negatively is actually baseless and does not need to be listened to because it is only propaganda aimed at protecting their interests.

You are right that claim that Bitcoin is mostly used as crime is not true and can be easily shown to be wrong, since amount of Bitcoins spent on crimes is much lower than huge amount of cash, which criminals like due to its simple nature and offline anonymity. Also all Bitcoin transactions are open to everyone on blockchain, and so, it is easy to follow money flow by law enforcement, which shows that people pushing this bad talk are usually just trying to protect interests of old banks and financial systems.

[Swordsoffreedom]

So, main stream media works for central bank and spread only bad things about crypto.
I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

The narrative has changed a lot after all of those years. The thought of people about Bitcoin mainly has changed because it's now being adopted and the big names in the finance industry are investing on it.

People would be curious why they're doing that where in the first place, they've called it as something bad and used for these illegal matters.

But not anymore today, before it did delayed Bitcoin's adoption and now they're also helping to its adoption when they're reporting what's happening in the market and all progress that happens.

Indeed, the story has changed significantly from many years ago. Nowadays, we hardly see any articles or central bank representatives saying that bitcoin is only used for illegal activities or spreading negative things about it anymore. I hardly see anyone talking about this anymore, except for a few people on our forums like the OP.


It can be said that this is outdated and old news because they have legalized bitcoin and acknowledged it as part of the financial market. So it would be wrong for us to continue blaming them and seeing this as a major barrier to bitcoin adoption.


Banks and governments are no longer barriers, but instead volatility, lack of technological understanding or limited infrastructure are.

[jcojci]

There should be both positive and negative aspects of one thing. That is a job for the government, the regulator and the police to identify those who use crypto for illegal purposes.

Besides that, they need to explain about the plus and the minus of crypto to public and not just judge like that. People need to know so they can stay away from something that suspicious or illegal.

If the government can explain, people will understand and will not try to use crypto for illegal things. Only those who related to crime or illegal things that will still use crypto for that purpose.

[TheUltraElite]

Initially when bitcoin was becoming popular bad people used it for its anonymity to use as medium in money laundering. That name and stain have remained and still being called for.

The people who keep on saying this dont understand how the system work and what they are being told from a bigger perspective.

However as time passes we need to make people aware and that is the only way we can abolish this wrong notion.

[notocactus]

Initially when bitcoin was becoming popular bad people used it for its anonymity to use as medium in money laundering. That name and stain have remained and still being called for.

The people who keep on saying this dont understand how the system work and what they are being told from a bigger perspective.

However as time passes we need to make people aware and that is the only way we can abolish this wrong notion.

With better adoption for Bitcoin, there are some advantages like bigger trading volume that makes more easily to do money laundering through bitcoins without big price loss by low trading volume many years in the past. There are also more business acceptance directly in bitcoin as payment method that makes it more easily to spend bitcoins for something.

It's true for both Bitcoin adoption generally and Bitcoin usage for money laundering particularly, and I neutrally think that we can not have one without the another as they are both components of Bitcoin adoption. Fighting against money laundering belongs to governments and their law enforcements and they can not pass all responsibility to Bitcoin blockchain, Bitcoin users and business companies.

[jossiel]

These days we are seeing critics turn high end investors and it is all because Bitcoin refused to fail, but it surpassed their low expectations all round with proof of work for all to see.
I think regulations have done a lot more to settle the issue of money laundering because I believe it was just a front for the FBI and other government agencies to control and understand Bitcoin and crypto currencies to the full extent.

Corruption will always be in existence because evil people don't sleep and I believe bitcoin will continue to innovate way beyond just strategic reserve banks and partial adoption for everyday transactions purpose and that puts away the fears or FOMO or FUD that was initially experienced when Bitcoin emerged and launched into the crypto currency market.

They cannot ignore the growth that Bitcoin has made for all of the years of its existence. They're in it for the growth of it and despite that there have been a bad history it has got, everyone is having that bad history.

And so for them to adopt bitcoin isn't that hard at all. Bitcoin's growth is actually a good cinderella story.

The narrative has changed a lot after all of those years. The thought of people about Bitcoin mainly has changed because it's now being adopted and the big names in the finance industry are investing on it.

People would be curious why they're doing that where in the first place, they've called it as something bad and used for these illegal matters.

But not anymore today, before it did delayed Bitcoin's adoption and now they're also helping to its adoption when they're reporting what's happening in the market and all progress that happens.

Indeed, the story has changed significantly from many years ago. Nowadays, we hardly see any articles or central bank representatives saying that bitcoin is only used for illegal activities or spreading negative things about it anymore. I hardly see anyone talking about this anymore, except for a few people on our forums like the OP.


It can be said that this is outdated and old news because they have legalized bitcoin and acknowledged it as part of the financial market. So it would be wrong for us to continue blaming them and seeing this as a major barrier to bitcoin adoption.


Banks and governments are no longer barriers, but instead volatility, lack of technological understanding or limited infrastructure are.

And it's a favor to bitcoin itself.

Because it was once told to be a bad thing and investment, used only by bad guys. Now, the mainstream has changed it all and the big guys of finance is already in it investing and telling people to go all in.

[serjent05]

I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

I think this "crypto is used by criminals..."  is just a propaganda by certain groups to undermine or instill fear to people that the government might hunt them if they get involved in cryptocurrency.  It has been done and repeatedly done by some groups to hinderthe adoption of cryptocurrency.

Because it was once told to be a bad thing and investment, used only by bad guys. Now, the mainstream has changed it all and the big guys of finance is already in it investing and telling people to go all in.

This is simply proof that this cryptocurrency is a currency that can be use by either good or bad people, just like how fiat currency is used, and in fact, fiat currency has way more cases of being used by bad guys.

[Oasisman]

I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

The major resistance against crypto is the government. They don't want something that they cannot control. Yes, they can regulate it, but still they don't have full control over it. That's the reason why they create a false narrative that Bitcoin could be use to run a large syndicate because of it's anonymity, which it was never true. Money laundering and other money related fraud long existed just before Bitcoin was created. If people really intend to make crimes, they could always opt to use any currency or any form of money they can.

It has always been the government who's afraid of Bitcoin.

[jossiel]

Because it was once told to be a bad thing and investment, used only by bad guys. Now, the mainstream has changed it all and the big guys of finance is already in it investing and telling people to go all in.

This is simply proof that this cryptocurrency is a currency that can be use by either good or bad people, just like how fiat currency is used, and in fact, fiat currency has way more cases of being used by bad guys.

Yes, there is no difference on how fiat is being used.

It's on how people are using it either with the bad or good usage that we're spending it.

The bias comes out when people don't like Bitcoin for some reasons and they keep arguing about how bad it is and never moves on. But don't look at how good it is right now and being a talk in the town as an asset for all this generation.

[Asuspawer09]

I dont think so, I think Bitcoin has a bad image on illegal things since in the past its mostly link to laundering, drugs and a lot of illegal things. But I dont think that the numbers on that is not really that high as we think, for sure only a small amount of people are using Bitcoin or cryptocurrency on illegal things, it wasn't really something that is safer, particularly since we have a lot some cases of it still getting caught on the news. But im positive that there are much more crimes related when it comes to banks or the physical cash that we are using compared to cryptocurrency.

This is a factor for sure but I dont hink that its a huge factor, For me all we need is knowledge, a lot of people just doesnt have the knowledge about it so they easy conclude based on what they here, if they heard that it is some how related to crimes in the news for sure they might get afraid on it, but if they have the knowledge about it they know that it is just a tool.

[X-ray]

Crypto has faced media trial from the very beginning. In early days of crypto, it was said that crypto is currency for bad people only.
money launderer not only use Crypto to launder money.
drug dealers and ARM dealers also use Fiat for their trade. and not all the cryptos are fully anonymous or impossible to trace.  it is true
That crypto is still illegal in some countries but those countries shows highest rate of money laundering, corruption, drug dealing and human trafficking is very common in those countries. So, main stream media works for central bank and spread only bad things about crypto.
I think this is a major resistance for crypto adoption. What do you think?

You're mentioning the fud and double standard of people.

They say crypto is used for money laundering yet every hackers can be traced and every money launderer can get exposed. It's a transparent ledger but the haters who likes to fud on bitcoin always fail to understand.

Fiat or paper money is much more widely used for crime because it leaves no traces yet crypto is the one taking the blame. It's just ridiculous, but just know that sentiment are getting better and people actually don't buy that fud anymore.