:|: THE MITTEN COLLECTIVE
Financial Innovation, Illicit Finance, and the Human Systems Behind Them.
Illicit Finance · Cryptocurrency · Financial Crime ·
Illicit Finance · Cryptocurrency · Financial Crime ·
A SYSTEMS-LEVEL VIEW OF ILLICIT FINANCEFinancial crime is rarely just a technical failure.
It is a systems problem.
Anne’s work centers on understanding how financial systems, institutions, and networks evolve over time — and how those systems are exploited as new technologies emerge. From cryptocurrency-enabled fraud and money laundering to the policy and investigative frameworks designed to counter them, her approach emphasizes context, history, and human impact.
Rather than treating illicit finance as an isolated phenomenon, Anne focuses on the broader convergence of financial innovation, national security risk, and institutional response — identifying where strategies fall short and where new approaches are required.
This perspective informs her research, writing, and public engagement across the financial crime and digital asset landscape.
Meet
Our Founder
Anne Walton
Anne Walton is a financial crimes expert with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of anti-money laundering compliance, complex investigations, and analytical research. She works across cryptocurrency, illicit finance, and emerging financial technologies, with a focus on how systems adapt — and where they fail.
Anne is the Founder of Mitten Collective, a research and analysis forum dedicated to advancing understanding of illicit finance networks, financial innovation, and evidence-based policy. She is also the Founding President of the Michigan Chapter of the Association of Women in Crypto and member of the Michigan Blockchain Council.
Mitten
The MITTEN COLLECTIVE
Focus areas include:
Illicit finance and money laundering networks, with a focus on cryptocurrency
Program evaluation and policy analysis
Evidence-based approaches to financial crime prevention
Mitten Collective exists to equip professionals and institutions with insight and context at a moment when opportunity and risk are arriving simultaneously.
Mitten Collective operates at a modern confluence: where financial innovation, artificial intelligence, illicit finance, and global instability intersect.
Our work centers on rigorous investigative research and analysis, drawing from diverse data sources, historical context, interviews, and document review. By identifying patterns and structural throughlines, Mitten Collective helps stakeholders understand how current conditions emerged — and where they may lead.
Collective
✦ WHERE IDEAS ARE BORN ✦The Idea Lab
Selected writing and research on illicit finance, cryptocurrency, and financial crime.
✲
Research designed to inform better decisions.
✲
✦ WHERE IDEAS MEET THE WORLD ✦Field Notes
Moving the needle on money laundering: how can we be effective?
This paper analyzes why the 1998 Money Laundering Strategy Act failed to meaningfully reduce money laundering, arguing that even well-designed policies fall short without effective implementation, coordination, and data-driven evaluation.
Strengthening the Gatekeepers – A New Era in AML Strategy
AML analysts are essential gatekeepers in a nonstop, technology-driven global financial system, yet despite facing increasingly sophisticated illicit actors, they operate without standardized training or competency frameworks needed to effectively combat evolving financial crime threats.
Financial Intelligence: Uses and Teaching Methods
This article highlights the critical role of financial intelligence (FININT) in law enforcement investigations, showing how systematically analyzing financial data can reveal hidden assets, networks, and criminal activity that traditional investigative methods often miss.
✲
In Conversation
Anne regularly participates in podcasts, panels, and professional forums focused on cryptocurrency, financial crime, and illicit finance networks. Her work emphasizes education, systems-level analysis, and cross-sector collaboration.
IN THE MIX
Keynote Speaker, Women in Web3 Brunch
As the featured speaker at the Women of Web3 brunch hosted in partnership with Stand With Crypto and the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, I shared insights on the evolving digital asset landscape and what 2026 may hold for Michigan’s crypto community. The gathering brought together founders, developers, investors, and emerging leaders to foster connection, inspiration, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The event reflected a shared commitment to strengthening Michigan’s role in the rapidly evolving blockchain economy while building meaningful professional networks among women in Web3.
ON THE POD
Host on the Women In Crypto Podcast
Featured Episodes:
Decrypting HR, Leadership, and Coaching in the Era of Crypto
Decrypting Inclusion: Gender, Leadership, and the Future of Crypto
Decrypting Divorce, Scams and Everything You Want to Know About Forensic Accounting
Crypto Capacity Building and What It Means for the Future of Banking and Crypto
Let’s Move the Needle
Where bold ideas turn into real momentum…