In this episode of What the F Happened? Fraud and Financial Crime, Deconstructed, we go beneath the hype to examine the real plumbing of the future financial system: stablecoins.

While Bitcoin grabs headlines, stablecoins now move over $300B globally — acting as the bridge between traditional banking and Web3. We break down what stablecoins actually are, why they’ve grown so fast, and how they’re reshaping payments, compliance, and financial crime.

You’ll learn:

• How stablecoins enable “digital cash” — and why stability is often just a promise

• What the Terra Luna collapse teaches us about algorithmic risk

• How new regulation like the GENIUS Act aims to bring order to crypto

• The tactics criminals use today: mixers, no-KYC exchanges, and affinity fraud

• Why the fiat-to-crypto on-ramp is the most critical choke point for stopping fraud

• How modern fraud defense relies on behavioral signals, device intelligence, and real-time decisioning

We close with a bigger question: can a financial system ever be both perfectly private and truly safe?

If you work in fraud, AML, payments, or fintech — this is your practical guide to where stablecoins are headed, and where risk teams need to focus next.

LINKS

Transcript:https://www.datavisor.com/defend-podcast

Watch the original webinar: https://www.datavisor.com/intelligence-center/webinars/defend-webinar-stablecoins-and-blockchain-regulation-fraud-risk-and-decentralization

DEFEND Training: https://www.datavisor.com/defend-training

00:00 Welcome & why stablecoins matter

03:51 What stablecoins actually are

05:29 Terra Luna the $50B warning

07:59 Regulation enters the chat - Genius Act

10:03 Mixers no KYC and laundering

12:12 Affinity fraud explained

13:37 The on-ramp choke point

18:08 The future of privacy vs safety