DeFi, Stablecoins, NFTs and Privacy Coins: Emerging Challenges in Virtual Asset Recovery

Course overview

Criminals increasingly move value through decentralised exchanges, lending protocols, cross-chain bridges, NFTs and privacy-focused coins, where there is often no company to serve an order on. Investigators trained only on bitcoin and centralised exchanges find their trails going cold. This DeFi investigation course prepares experienced virtual asset investigators for these newer environments.

Participants learn how smart contracts, decentralised exchanges, liquidity pools, lending protocols and bridges work, and how to read their transactions. They examine how stablecoins are issued and why issuers can freeze tokens, how NFTs are used to move value, and what can and cannot be traced with privacy coins and mixers. The recovery part focuses on practical leverage points: stablecoin issuers, front-end operators, bridge operators, centralised off-ramps and governance mechanisms. Hands-on exercises use real public blockchain data and test environments to trace a laundering path across several protocols.

Participants leave able to investigate DeFi-based laundering and to identify realistic points where assets can be frozen or recovered.

What you will be able to do

• Explain how smart contracts and DeFi protocols record transactions
• Trace funds through decentralised exchanges, pools and bridges
• Identify how NFTs and stablecoins are used to move value
• Assess the traceability limits of privacy coins and mixers
• Identify leverage points for freezing assets in decentralised systems
• Report DeFi tracing findings clearly for legal action

Who should attend

For investigators and analysts who already trace cryptocurrency and need to handle decentralised finance and newer asset types.

• Virtual asset investigators
• Cybercrime investigators
• FIU virtual asset analysts
• Asset recovery officers
• Capital markets and VASP supervisors
• Digital forensics specialists

Course outline

Fees are per participant in US dollars and cover tuition, course materials and your certificate. Travel and accommodation are not included.