<p>Cryptocurrencies are a "particular concern" for law enforcement officials charged with policing money laundering and other illicit finance, Treasury secretary nominee and former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said during her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIOqxuRrpAU&amp;feature=youtu.be">Senate confirmation hearing</a> today.</p> <p>The comment came in response to a question from Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), who asked Yellen about emerging technical threats related to financial terrorism and how Yellen sees the Treasury's role in the battle against illicit financial activities. Hassan specifically named crypto as a possible threat, and Yellen agreed.</p> <p>"I think many are used at least in a transactions sense mainly for illicit finance," she said, adding that the government needs to find new ways to curb money laundering from occurring via crypto platforms.</p> <p>A date has not been set for a vote on Yellen's confirmation, but according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-19/yellen-confirmation-for-treasury-could-come-as-soon-as-thursday">Bloomberg report</a> it could come as early as Thursday.</p>