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Banks and other financial institutions in the Netherlands flagged 5,000 cryptocurrency-related transactions as “unusual” to the Dutch Financial Intelligence Unit in 2017, a 17-fold increase from previous years. In a 49-page report published Tuesday, the FIU described a “strong rise” in the number of crypto-linked transfers disclosed by banks and other financial institutions in the Netherlands, but warned against assuming that the spike in reporting necessarily shows greater use of Bitcoin, Monero, Ripple and other cryptocurrencies to launder illicit funds. “This does not directly indicate an overall criminalization [of digital currencies],” the FIU wrote. “The learning capabilities of institutions also...