Bangladesh, Feb. 23 -- As the cryptocurrency industry surges deeper into the financial mainstream, a paradox has emerged at the heart of US regulatory policy. While digital asset platforms now move trillions of dollars annually and market participation widens among retail and institutional investors alike, the federal workforce tasked with policing anti-money laundering (AML) safeguards in the sector has sharply declined. For observers and analysts in countries like Bangladesh-where policymakers closely monitor US financial governance trends-the implications are both immediate and systemic.

According to data obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the number of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) personne...