Exchanges in countries with hostile diplomatic relations Law enforcement agencies reach a block in their investigations if exchanges are made in countries that have either hostile relations or no diplomatic relations with their home countries, and hence are not willing to cooperate or deliver the needed information. Confidential investigations Authorities are often unwilling or unable to cooperate with third parties, such as exchanges, due to the sensitive nature of their investigations. In some instances, details of a case may be confidential, while in others, sharing details may compromise the investigation. Time-sensitive investigations Many investigations are time sensitive, meaning investigators do not have the time to cooperate with exchanges, a process which may take time and requires bureaucratic efforts. The last 3 reasons, as well as jurisdiction issues, can also explain the challenges of approaching other third parties, such as communication service provider or wallet vendors, with indicative IP addresses or other identifiers used to reveal illicit actors’ identities. 1 Cooperation with global, peer-to-peer or unregulated exchanges 2 3 Keeping up with financial investigations in the crypto age 13