Italy is the perfect country for those who want to launder money with bitcoins

ATMs for cryptocurrencies hide an undergrowth of operators who do not control who makes payments. And without ad hoc regulations, a gray area is created which crime takes advantage of

Bitcoin (Getty Images) To hide money in the center of Rome, just ring a bell. Near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, near the Esquiline, there is one of the many branches throughout Italy where you can buy bitcoin by changing cash. Just insert a banknote into an automatic device, without anyone bothering to verify the identity of the buyer. Once through the door of the "shop" - a room of a few meters completely empty, except for the machine and an old air conditioner that throws out incomprehensibly hot air - a heavy metal gate with a magnetic lock protects the device.

They are enough a few minutes to complete the operation and leave the room, relieved of the cash, which after less than an hour will reappear in the form of cryptocurrencies in the selected digital wallet. There are dozens of devices of this type in Italy, as revealed by the sites that help keep track of them in favor of onlookers and buyers. They are commonly called "bitcoin ATMs", although it would be better to call them automatic teller machines (ATMs) for cryptocurrencies. The aim is to clear the distances between digital currencies and those who want to try to manage them directly. But in the absence of controls they can also become an excellent tool for making or receiving payments without any trace of them.