According to foreign media (Atlas21), the Bank of Italy, in its latest 893rd Economic and Financial Research Report, has classified Bitcoin P2P (peer-to-peer) services as a form of "crime-as-a-service." (Background: Italy plans to raise the capital gains tax on Bitcoin to "42%", could the local market collapse?) (Context: Current crypto situation in China: P2P bypassing bans, secret mining operations, CBDC cutting off escape routes?) According to foreign media (Atlas21), the Bank of Italy, in its latest 893rd Economic and Financial Research Report, has classified Bitcoin P2P (peer-to-peer) services as a form of "crime-as-a-service." P2P services are suspected of assisting money laundering. The Bank of Italy believes that P2P services are a means for individuals to conceal the sources of illegal funds, especially on platforms that do not require KYC (Know Your Customer), such as the website kycnot.me, making it difficult for regulatory agencies and law enforcement to identify criminals. The Bank of Italy stated in the document: Money launderers tend to operate in countries or regions considered high risk by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) or lacking anti-money laundering legislation. Additionally, the Bank of Italy specifically mentioned the Satoshi Spritz event, which was originally an open gathering allowing participants to use Bitcoin to exchange for goods, services, or fiat currency; however, the Bank of Italy also classified the P2P activities within this event as criminal activities. Blockchain technology is not immune to crime. The Bank of Italy emphasized that while blockchain technology itself is transparent, it does not eliminate criminal activities: Cryptocurrency transactions are immutable on public ledgers, but their anonymity also means that wallet addresses cannot be linked to personal identities unless verified externally. Besides using P2P transactions to launder money by avoiding KYC, the Bank of Italy pointed out other methods of money laundering utilizing blockchain technology, including: Mixers: This tool mixes the funds of multiple users to obscure ownership, making tracking difficult. Cross-chain: Bridging cryptocurrencies to different blockchains through smart contracts or cross-chain bridges complicates the source of funds. Anonymous wallets: These wallets can hide IP addresses and sever connections between different transactions. Internet users: You might as well ban the internet altogether. Overall, the report particularly focuses on the malicious behaviors associated with blockchain while neglecting its core principle of decentralization, leading many internet users to oppose or criticize the report. They argue that the very creation of blockchain technology was to counteract the shortcomings of traditional financial institutions like banks; the technology itself is not at fault, but rather those who use it for criminal purposes... If this service is considered a crime service, then the internet should certainly be banned, as more people use the internet to commit crimes. Furthermore, some users pointed out that banks are not actually concerned about criminals; what they want is regulation over everyone. They seek to control people's freedoms and behaviors. Some even stated that the official banking system often engages in large-scale money laundering activities using euros and dollars... Related reports: Over 30 blockchain communities sign an anti-fraud and anti-money laundering memorandum; the Taiwan Blockchain University Alliance holds an educational forum. The Taiwan Virtual Currency Association issues self-regulatory guidelines, covering key points on crypto asset listing and delisting, anti-money laundering, and customer protection (VASP). Coinbase CEO criticizes anti-money laundering policies as ineffective: $213 billion spent annually only prevents 0.2% of illegal activities, harming legitimate users. "The Bank of Italy classifies 'Bitcoin P2P as a crime service,' and users retort: Banks are the biggest money laundering offenders." This article was originally published on BlockTempo (the most influential blockchain news media).

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