Financial fraud in an era of blockchain and AI

The article warns that AI and blockchain are reshaping finance in ways that both enable large-scale fraud and provide tools to fight it. At a Reagan National Economic Forum panel, fintech leaders said AI is unlocking efficiencies while stablecoins are expanding dollar dominance — but deepfakes and automated scams can scale criminal activity, threatening schools, local governments and corporations. Panelists argued that blockchain’s immutable ledgers and emerging identity solutions from the crypto industry, plus AI-based defenses, offer the best route to detect and stop new fraud vectors. The piece frames the issue as a policy and industry priority: regulators and market participants must accelerate adoption of these technologies as defenses before fraud evolves further, with clear implications for crypto adoption, payments infrastructure and institutional risk management.