How Digital money could change a War - Andrew Fierman

What happens when crypto collides with sanctions, geopolitical conflict, cybercrime, and AI-driven fraud? In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis, to explore how digital assets are being used by nation states, sanction networks, cybercriminals, and sophisticated illicit actors and why blockchain transparency may actually make crypto one of the most powerful tools for tracking financial crime. We discuss how Iran has become an early crypto adopter under decades of sanctions pressure, why stablecoins are playing a growing role in cross-border activity, and how they are being used in everything from sanctions evasion to broader global financial access. Andrew also explains how Chainalysis maps blockchain activity, how illicit flows are identified, and why the public nature of blockchain can be more useful than traditional finance when it comes to following money. We also dive into one of the biggest emerging threats in the space: AI-powered scams. From deepfake voice cloning and synthetic identity fraud to the use of AI in large-scale laundering and social engineering, this episode looks at how the risk landscape is changing and how the crypto industry may need to respond. This is a conversation about the dark side of digital finance, but also about the opportunity crypto creates for transparency, compliance, and financial resilience in a rapidly changing world. X: https://x.com/chainalysis website: https://linktr.ee/chainalysis