I've got a friend who does red team work as a CIA contractor for both terrorism smuggling and drug/human smuggling operations. And at least based off of convers

I've got a friend who does red team work as a CIA contractor for both terrorism smuggling and drug/human smuggling operations. And at least based off of conversations with him, crypto currency isn't quite the win that you're portraying. If you're in any country where it can be converted to cash, you're also in a country where it still needs to be laundered. And that means that no matter how quickly the transaction took place, converting to cash is gonna be a long haul, and it gets riskier the longer the haul. The one area where he claims it is an enabler is as a medium of exchange between criminal organizations. It's easier to transfer large quantities of currency and easier/cheaper to verify validity, than the traditional method of brokers and illicit escrows (nothing like the briefcase handoffs you see on TV). But those same qualities that enable those types of transfers also enable transnational transfers of currency between nations that do not have agreed on standardized electronic methods. And I'd view that as an overall win. I'm also of the opinion that on a slow and steady long haul, cryptocurrencies will eventually take over the role of the US dollar as a trading base currency. Which would also be a win in my opinion, with respect to geopolitics.