Following the Money is a new Q&A series that spotlights how Chainalysis customers use our products in the real world — from compliance teams and investigators to pioneers driving crypto adoption.
Simona is the VP of Financial Crime Operations at BVNK.
What’s the biggest misconception about your job?
The biggest misconception usually comes from people with limited exposure to crypto. Before moving into this space, I spent more than a decade in traditional finance. What strikes me is how many people from that world still believe crypto is inherently “unclean” or can’t be trusted. Even people in my own network joke that I’ve gone over to the “dark side,” as if crypto payments can’t possibly be legitimate. The reality is very different. Like any financial system, there are risks – but there are also incredibly sophisticated compliance frameworks and tools that make crypto transactions often more transparent and traceable than those in traditional finance.
How has your work changed the way you think about money or trust?
I remember when international payments could take days – sometimes weeks – to process, with high fees and constant anxiety about whether the money would ever arrive. My work has completely reframed that. Today, I know that a payment, whether domestic or international, can be completed in minutes. The technology proves that trust isn’t about waiting for intermediaries to “clear” transactions; it’s about choosing the right method and working with organizations that prioritize security and compliance. It has made me much more optimistic about what “money” can be: not just a medium of exchange, but a system that builds trust globally, quickly, and fairly.
Which blockchain do you think will define the next 5 years?
I don’t think the future belongs to a single chain. Instead, we’ll see a cluster of dominant blockchains, each excelling in different niches. Ethereum will likely remain the backbone over the next five years – it’s already ahead when it comes to stablecoins, arguably the most important area of development today, and its ecosystem depth gives it unmatched resilience.
That said, we’re also seeing the rise of blockchains specifically optimized for high-volume payments. Solana is the most talked-about example today, but it has opened the door for other players who are now developing payment-focused chains designed to combine speed, scalability, and lower costs. For merchants and payment providers like BVNK, that evolution is exciting because it points to a future where different blockchains specialize – Ethereum as the trusted settlement layer, and payment-optimized chains as the rails for everyday transactions.
What’s the most “Wait, this is my job?!” moment you’ve had?
Honestly, I feel this quite often. People outside of financial crime might assume money is simply a tool to buy things and that crime is rare. But working in this space shows me how often money is used with bad intentions. What amazes me even more is that we now have the tools and expertise to stop that. Compared to how financial institutions operated years ago, we’re in a completely different league. Today, we can identify risks with remarkable speed and precision, and every time I see that in action, I think: wow, we are actually making the financial system safer.
How has Chainalysis changed your day-to-day work?
For my team, Chainalysis has become essential – it makes their work faster, more accurate, and more efficient. For me personally, it’s more than just a tool: it’s a proof point. It allows me to show clients, banks, and regulators that crypto can be safe, transparent, and trustworthy. At BVNK, compliance is non-negotiable, and we invest in best-in-class solutions. Chainalysis has become a genuine competitive advantage for us – both in terms of operational efficiency and in building confidence with our stakeholders.
If you could automate one part of your job, what would it be?
One part I’d automate is keeping track of fines issued to financial institutions for AML deficiencies globally. Imagine an AI system that not only flags new enforcement actions but interprets them in context and shows how they could apply to your specific business model – that would be game-changing. At BVNK, we invest heavily in compliance and keep a close eye on regulatory changes, but enforcement actions reveal how regulators actually apply the rules in practice. Understanding those trends helps us stay sharp, anticipate expectations, and always remain one step ahead.
What tool (besides Chainalysis!) could you not live without?
I’ll admit it: I’ve become a full-blown AI enthusiast. I was an early adopter, and I use multiple AI tools every day. The key lesson has been finding balance – not over-relying on AI, but using it to supercharge efficiency. If I had to pick just one, it would be ChatGPT. It’s where my AI journey began, and it remains my go-to. There’s nothing better than having a dense regulatory update summarized for you when you don’t have time to read 100 pages – though I’ll add a compliance disclaimer: always cross-check and make sure you’re relying on authoritative sources!
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The post Following the Money with Chainalysis: 7 Questions for Simona Suskeviciene from BVNK appeared first on Chainalysis.
