Blockchain & cryptocurrencies

The advent of cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies creates tempting new opportunities to engage in fraud and misconduct. The ability to navigate these new technologies is essential when blockchain-related allegations arise. Grant Thornton assists clients and their counsel in obtaining defensible evidence and performing thorough investigations.

A long-time leader in corporate investigations, Grant Thornton’s Forensic Advisory Services practice assists with all manner of investigations involving cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies. Our Forensic Technology Services professionals complement our already diverse investigative teams with extensive real-world experience in working with this transformative technology.

Our professionals have an in-depth understanding of the rapidly changing regulatory expectations in this arena. Likewise, we employ (and develop) cutting-edge tools and techniques to download, preserve, analyze, and interrogate data contained within public and private blockchains.

Your challenge Cryptocurrencies are constantly in the news, as is the blockchain technology behind them. Blockchain technologies are complex and sometimes designed to make it difficult to determine individual actors. Accordingly, with relatively few people in a given organization able to understand the technology, blockchain-based fraud and misconduct is on the rise by unscrupulous employees and/or outside actors. Since blockchain applications typically have no central authority, transactions conducted within them cannot be stopped, blocked, or reversed – thereby increasing risk to organizations. This increased risk must be addressed with stronger internal controls and investigated by teams informed of both the underlying technologies and their related artifacts.
Our solution Harnessing a network of multi-disciplinary professionals across the globe, we identify a team that is uniquely qualified for your issues. Utilizing our proprietary tools and methodologies, we can interrogate and analyze cryptocurrency (and other blockchain) activity in ways not possible using traditional application programming interfaces (APIs).

These forensic techniques allow us to trace digital asset transactions from their inception to their current disposition. Using this technology, Grant Thornton can also perform complex analysis against hundreds of millions of blockchain transactions in a timely and defensible manner. Grant Thornton can perform analysis that takes competitors weeks or months in mere hours or days.

Our team includes forensic accountants, digital forensic experts, data mining specialists, testifying experts, and valuation professionals who are ready to deploy when blockchain-related allegations of misconduct arise. Our innovative investigations team is equipped to assist you.