Cybercrime and Corruption: How Digital Technologies Facilitate Illicit Financial Flows Across Borders

The combination of cybercrime and corruption has emerged as a major issue in the global fight against illicit financial flows (IFFs). The purpose of this study is to examine how digital technologies enable the flow of illegal cash and contribute to cybercrime and cross-border corruption. While the existing literature extensively covers cybercrime and corruption as distinct phenomena, there is little investigation into their convergence and the role of digital technologies in maintaining IFFs. This gap needs a thorough examination of the mechanisms by which technology facilitates these operations, as well as viable countermeasures. The study takes a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative case studies of high-profile cross-border corruption cases with quantitative analysis of financial data sourced from worldwide anti-corruption and cybercrime databases. This study is designed to provide a thorough knowledge of the function of technology such as cryptocurrency, encrypted communication platforms, and dark web marketplaces in facilitating IFFs. Furthermore, the research attempts to create meaningful recommendations for governments, financial institutions, and law enforcement organizations to use technology to tackle these difficulties. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on cyber-enabled corruption and sheds light on the development of strong international frameworks for monitoring and combatting IFFs in the digital age.