Cryptocurrency trade as a source of
funds for an EB-5 investment: Is it that
“cryptic”?
What EB-5 investors can do to increase the chance of having the USCIS adjudicator
approve the legitimacy of their cryptocurrency as an EB-5 investment.
By Natalia Polukhtin
T
he global crisis of 2008-2009 and growing public
distrust in a traditional banking system produced a
phenomenon that is difficult to ignore - cryptocurrencies.
In the past decade, cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin being
the most well-known, continue gaining popularity despite
many predictions of collapse and a histor y of pretty
dramatic fluctuations in value. While cryptocurrencies
may still not be the most common tool for payments and
value exchanges, thousands of different cryptocurrencies
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EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE
are currently in circulation with a value exceeding $240
billion, undeniably creating an enormous pool of capital
potentially available for investment into the traditional
economy. 1 As a result, the emerging trend of bringing
proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency into investment
presents an issue for EB-5 practitioners: can this money
be documented as a source of funds to meet evidentiary
requirements of immigration services?