Building the Future of Crypto Compliance: 6 Key Takeaways from TRM’s Inaugural Digital Asset Compliance Summit

Last month in New York City, TRM Labs convened over 100 of the most forward-thinking leaders in crypto and traditional finance for our first-ever Digital Asset Compliance Summit. From threat briefings and regulatory developments to the path forward for stablecoin adoption, the conversations we had throughout the day were a reminder of what’s possible when innovators and institutions come together.

Read on for a summary of the key themes we discussed and lessons we uncovered.

Why — more than ever — crypto compliance requires clarity, collaboration, and capacity

We kicked off the day with a keynote from TRM’s CEO and Co-founder, Esteban Castaño. He framed the current moment in crypto compliance as one defined by “efficiency, agility, and impact.” He noted that as the digital asset ecosystem shifts from experimental use cases to enterprise-grade infrastructure, compliance leaders face growing pressure to scale programs — often without a corresponding increase in headcount. He also shared the solutions that TRM is building to help compliance teams address these gaps and build more rigorous compliance programs at scale.

These same themes of efficiency, agility, and impact carried throughout the day:

• We heard about the accelerating complexity of digital asset compliance driving the need for an interconnected solution, not more isolated tools 
• We learned about the challenges facing financial institutions as they evaluate stablecoin products, tokenized assets, and AI agent-initiated payments
• We saw how regulators are evolving in their approach — from checking the presence of compliance controls to actively testing their effectiveness using blockchain data

We also heard briefings and case studies from subject matter experts across the key threat categories compliance teams are focused on today — including terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, fraud, Chinese Money Laundering Organizations (CMLOs), and cartels. We examined how bad actors are leveraging both traditional rails and digital assets, how those nexus points converge, and the on-chain typologies — and discussed the critical role financial institutions and crypto exchanges play in preventing these illicit activities.

A speaker from a top financial institution summed up the industry’s challenge succinctly: “The volume [of digital asset usage] is growing, the threats are multiplying, and we’re being asked to do more — with less.”

Compliance analysts as managers of AI agents

Another central theme throughout the summit was the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping compliance. As transaction volumes increase by orders of magnitude, several speakers underscored that legacy approaches — like adding more analysts to triage alerts — won’t scale.

Instead, the next era demands automation, reproducibility, and transparency. We discussed the importance of leaning into AI to build more resilient, future-proofed compliance programs — shifting the focus from simply automating tasks (e.g. tracing laundering flows) to managing full teams of AI agents capable of executing complex workflows and providing recommendations (e.g. drafting SARs). It was clear that digital asset compliance must transform from a cost center into a strategic enabler.

Regulatory rigor, collaboration, and a maturing supervisory landscape

We were fortunate to hear from speakers representing several key regulatory bodies at the summit. It was clear from their remarks — and those from leaders at top banks and crypto exchanges — that simply checking regulatory boxes isn’t enough when it comes to building strong compliance operations. Instead, teams should focus on designing data-driven effectiveness that yields real-world outcomes: disrupting threat networks, preventing fraud, protecting victims, and stopping terrorist financing.

We also heard diverse perspectives on the evolving compliance landscape. One regulator described her agency’s approach as “tough but fair,” emphasizing that clarity, actionability, and consistency are essential to driving effective compliance outcomes. Another pointed to the growing use of blockchain analytics tools in supervisory exams — not just to assess institutions’ policies, but to validate outcomes. The clear takeaway: compliance programs must be effective, defensible, and grounded in data 

It was also clear that the path forward for financial institutions involves engaging regulators proactively. “If you can show your work, demonstrate your rationale, and explain your controls in terms of actual risk mitigation,” one regulator noted, “you’ll build trust that pays dividends.”

Building a crypto compliance program from scratch

So how do compliance teams build programs that meet regulatory requirements and enable meaningful outcomes? Leading crypto and TradFi institutions sounded off throughout the day and shared candid lessons they’ve learned from their time in the field. Their guidance included:

• Get alignment early: Clear, senior-level agreement on your digital asset strategy is essential to building scalable controls.
• Start with the risk: Rather than checking boxes, ground your policies and procedures in robust risk assessments that reflect real-world exposure.
• Educate and integrate: Compliance must work hand-in-hand with business teams to align on shared definitions, timelines, and risk appetites.
• Expect and prepare for scrutiny: From examiner playbooks to parallel attribution tests, regulators are digging deeper. The best preparation is a clearly documented methodology.

Whether launching a new monitoring program or evaluating indirect exposure to illicit activity, the shared emphasis was on clarity, consistency, and collaboration.

The institutional era and road ahead

As large financial institutions deepen their engagement with digital assets, the compliance bar continues to rise. Institutions are expected not only to meet existing standards — but to help shape emerging ones. Looking ahead, several speakers predicted:

• Increased convergence between TradFi and crypto compliance standards
• Greater reliance on shared intelligence networks to combat cross-border threats
• Rising expectations for real-time analytics and automated tracing
• Continued growth in tokenization, stablecoins, and programmable payments

In this context, compliance teams are not just gatekeepers — they are innovation partners, trust-builders, and frontline defenders.

A community moving forward

Throughout the Digital Asset Compliance Summit, one shared truth surfaced repeatedly: the challenges facing digital asset compliance teams are significant — but so is the commitment. As one speaker noted, “Compliance isn’t just a regulatory requirement. It’s the foundation for crypto’s future.”

Another speaker also reminded us that it’s an exciting time to be working in this field: compliance isn’t just about keeping bad actors off the blockchain — it’s about making the digital asset experience seamless, intuitive, and safe for the hundreds of thousands of good actors entering the ecosystem every day. It’s a powerful reframing: compliance as an enabler of adoption, not just a deterrent to abuse.

At TRM, we are proud to support this global community of compliance professionals across the digital asset space. And we look forward to continuing to build together.

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Want to learn more about the threat briefings and product innovations we discussed at the summit? Explore TRM’s solutions for financial institutions, or contact us to connect with a TRM expert.