12 Apr 2021, Europol publishes the European Union (EU) Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment, the EU SOCTA 2021. The SOCTA, published by Europol every four years, presents a detailed analysis of the threat of serious and organised crime facing the EU. The SOCTA is a forward-looking assessment that identifies shifts in the serious and organised crime landscape.

The SOCTA 2021 details the operations of criminal networks in the EU and how their criminal activities and business practices threaten to undermine our societies, economy and institutions, and slowly erode the rule of law. The report provides unprecedented insights into Europe’s criminal underworld based on the analysis of thousands of cases and pieces of intelligence provided to Europol. 

The SOCTA reveals a concerning expansion and evolution of serious and organised crime in the EU. The document warns of the potential long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and how these may create ideal conditions for crime to thrive in the future. The report clearly highlights serious and organised crime as the key internal security challenge currently facing the EU and its Member States.

Launched at the Portuguese Police’s headquarters (Policia Judicária) in Lisbon during the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the SOCTA 2021 is the most comprehensive and in-depth study of serious and organised crime in the EU ever undertaken. 

THE MOST PRESSING INTERNAL SECURITY THREAT TO THE EU

EU citizens enjoy some of the highest levels of prosperity and security in the world. However, the EU still faces serious challenges to its internal security, threatening to undo some of our common achievements and undermine shared European values and ambitions. As the EU is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most significant crises since the end of World War II, criminals seek to exploit this extraordinary situation targeting citizens, businesses, and public institutions alike.

The analysis presented in the SOCTA 2021 highlights key characteristics of serious and organised crime such as the widespread use of corruption, the infiltration and exploitation of legal business structures for all types of criminal activity, and the existence of a parallel underground financial system that allows criminals to move and invest their multi-billion euro profits. 

Serious and organised crime encompasses a diverse range of criminal phenomena ranging from the trade in illegal drugs to crimes such as migrant smuggling and the trafficking in human beings, economic and financial crime and many more.

Key findings of the SOCTA 2021:

• Serious and organised crime has never posed as high a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today.
• The COVID-19 pandemic and the potential economic and social fallout expected to follow threaten to create ideal conditions for organised crime to spread and take hold in the EU and beyond. Once more confirmed by the pandemic, a key characteristic of criminal networks is their agility in adapting to and capitalising on changes in the environment in which they operate. Obstacles become criminal opportunities.
• Like a business environment, the core of a criminal network is composed of managerial layers and field operators. This core is surrounded by a range of actors linked to the crime infrastructure providing support services.
• With nearly 40 percent of the criminal networks active in drugs trafficking, the production and trafficking of drugs remains the largest criminal business in the EU. 
• The trafficking and exploitation of human beings, migrant smuggling, online and offline frauds and property crime pose significant threats to EU citizens. 
• Criminals employ corruption. Almost 60% of the criminal networks reported engage in corruption.
• Criminals make and launder billions of euros annually. The scale and complexity of money laundering activities in the EU have previously been underestimated. Professional money launderers have established a parallel underground financial system and use any means to infiltrate and undermine Europe’s economies and societies. 
• Legal business structures are used to facilitate virtually all types of criminal activity with an impact on the EU. More than 80% of the criminal networks active in the EU use legal business structures for their criminal activities. 
• The use of violence by criminals involved in serious and organised crime in the EU appears to have increased in terms of the frequency of use and its severity. The threat from violent incidents has been augmented by the frequent use of firearms or explosives in public spaces.
• Criminals are digital natives. Virtually all criminal activities now feature some online component and many crimes have fully migrated online. Criminals exploit encrypted communications to network among each other, use social media and instant messaging services to reach a larger audience to advertise illegal goods, or spread disinformation. 

The SOCTA 2021 assists decision-makers in the prioritisation of serious and organised crime threats. It is a product of close cooperation between Europol, EU Member States law enforcement authorities, third parties such as EU agencies, international organisations, and countries outside the EU with working arrangements with Europol. These crucial stakeholders’ involvement is also reflected in the SOCTA’s role as the cornerstone of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) in the EU.

Event on the Prospects of Crypto Market and the Use of Blockchain in Business Will Take Place in April 2021.

Bitcoin rate is breaking records, the world community is actively discussing the development of tokenization, and the law on digital financial assets and digital currency came into force in Russia. Within the new conditions, crucial questions appear: how to gain income on the rising trend of electronic money and what is the future of the cryptocurrency market?

To discuss these and other topics, Smile-Expo will host the ninth Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow 2021 on April 6! The event is dedicated to the prospects of making money on cryptocurrency and the specifics of regulating the circulation of digital assets.

Event will unite top-notch industry professionals: financial analysts, economists, lawyers, representatives of technological companies, developers of innovative platforms and others.

Event program

Events under Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference brand have been held in Moscow since 2014. During this time, they managed to gather thousands of guests. Traditionally, specialized events unite leading industry representatives. The ninth conference will delight visitors with an even richer program and the most useful theme-specific blocks.

Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow 2021 features meaningful presentations from multidisciplinary experts, a demo zone with advanced products and services, panel discussion, speed dating and effective networking.

Speakers will focus on the main trends in the digital assets industry, legal aspects of regulation and promising ways to make money on the crypto market.

Topics that will be considered at the conference include:

- NFT as a new class of digital assets: Features of non-fungible tokens.

- Mining possibilities: How to mine cryptocurrency and make a profit?

- Cryptotrading as a way to make money: Specifics and efficient strategies.

- Legislative regulation of cryptocurrencies: How the market will change in 2021.

Demo area will be arranged at the event, where niche companies will present their best solutions. Representatives of exhibitors will be happy to answer all questions from guests and discuss the benefits of possible cooperation.

Conference guests will have the opportunity to find investors or business partners, as well as exchange experience and knowledge. Join us!

Meet the first speakers of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow 2021

Leonid Bugaev is a business mentor, a specialist in the field of networking and online marketing. Vice President of Communications at Chatex. Provides personal and corporate consultations for Microsoft, Toyota, Gazprom Neft, Beeline, MTS, MegaLabs, etc. Author of books and Mobility for business method.

The speaker will cover the topic “How decentralized systems are created. The rise of Web 3.0”.

Daria Barkova is the co-founder and Head of HR department at Unicorn Search IT center. More than 7 years of experience in recruiting. Searches for fintech, blockchain, gamedev developers and helps companies to attract real stars of the IT industry to the team.

At the conference, Daria will present a report on the topic “Finding staff for blockchain development: Problems, best practices”.

Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow 2021 will feature a panel discussion on the topic “Legal implications of the law on digital financial assets” Meet its participants:

• Andrey Tugarin – expert in the field of intellectual property rights protection, patent attorney of the Russian Federation. Partner and Director of GMT Legal that provides legal support for crypto projects. Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Federation of Patent Agents (FICPI).

• Yanina Petrovskaya – lawyer, advisor at RLP Lawyers Liechtenstein. Provides services for legal support of blockchain projects. Member of Capital Market and Technology Association that creates standards for assets tokenization. Yanina is a lecturer at Blockchain Lawyers (BCL) – supplementary education program.

• Sarkis Darbinyan is a lawyer in cyber rights protection, partner of Digital Rights Center and Digital Rights Laboratory. Co-founder of RosComSvoboda public project. The speaker is a member of the working group Communications and IT at the Expert Council under the Government of the Russian Federation.

• Maria Agranovskaya – specialist in digital currency regulation, lawyer. Managing Partner, Head of the Fintech, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Practice at GRAD Moscow Bar Association. Has expertise in the legal aspects of creating investment mechanisms, funds, trusts, holdings, asset restructuring.

The full list of speakers can be found on the official website.

Special offer!

Celebrating the Defender’s Day, we launch a special promotion: from 17 to 24 of February, Conference category tickets can be purchased with a 30% discount!

Ticket price during the promotion is 7,000 RUB.

Ticket price from February 25 – 10,000 RUB.

The offer is valid for 8 days only. The early bird period will last until February 28, and starting from March 1, the cost of tickets will increase to 15,000 RUB.

Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Moscow 2021 will be organized by Smile-Expo international company that has been conducting business events in the field of innovations for 15 years.

Tickets to the event are already on sale! Register on the official conference website to attend main event in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain!

Program and registration - moscow.bc.events