Julio Barragan

Adjunct Professor

Julio Barragan Headshot
Email
jbarragan@middlebury.edu

Julio is a highly regarded cryptocurrency subject matter expert, known for his deep technical knowledge of blockchain technology. He has worked across the crypto ecosystem, leading research, training, and education for various DeFi, CeFi, and crypto AML companies 

As Director of Cryptocurrency Intelligence for CipherTrace, a Mastercard Company, Julio was responsible for curating reports, analysys, and training sessions that provided deep insights into cryptocurrency-related financial crimes and anti-money laundering efforts. Julio’s expertise helped lead to the development of innovative training and certification programs, aimed at various audiences, from governments and banks to law enforcement and private corporations. He founded CipherTrace’s Quarterly Crypto Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Reports, which quickly became industry benchmarks, offering in-depth analyses of hacks, scams, money laundering trends, and regulatory changes affecting the crypto ecosystem.

Julio also served as Co-chair and Project Manager for the Defenders League Pro Bono Investigations Service at CipherTrace. In this role, he demonstrated his commitment to assisting victims of crypto crimes that were often too small for traditional investigative firms or law enforcement to address. Julio trained investigators in various blockchain investigation tools and techniques to provide valuable insights to aid law enforcement agencies pursue the stolen funds. 

In his role as Head of Education at Blocknative, a core Ethereum infrastructure company, Julio was able to work with various players throughout the DeFi ecosystem— including unhosted wallet providers, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and their various end-users— to analyze and explain emerging risks, trends, and technologies affecting the Ethereum network and DeFi ecosystem.

Julio consults for various companies on highly-technical crypto topics and teaches introductory courses around crypto, blockchain, DeFi, and web3 at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. He is regularly invited to speak to audiences in the public and private sector, including international audiences like the Eurasia Anti-Money Laundering Group (EAG), a FATF-style regional body.

Areas of Interest

Julio is a life-long learner, driven by his desire to nurture his always curious mind. This curiosity fuels his passion for crypto and blockchain technology, as the space is constantly evolving with something new around every corner. He is an active researcher and contributor across the crypto ecosystem, analyzing the latest in technological innovation across web3 to interpret how these innovations may impact end-users, institutions, and financial crime.  

Julio specializes in the following areas: 

  • Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology
  • EVM and smart contracts
  • DeFi ecosystem
  • Blockchain investigation tools and techniques
  • On-chain and pre-chain risks
  • MEV and transaction ordering
  • Crypto crime and money laundering
  • CeFi and DeFi AML and sanctions compliance
  • Crypto education and training (for technical and non-technical audiences)

Programs

Academic Degrees

Julio holds a masters’ degree from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies where he specialized in Financial Crime Management and Russian language. He received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Political Science with a minor in Russian language.

Publications

Barragan, J. (2023, August). Understanding Ethereum Restaking and EigenLayer: The risks and rewards of extending Ethereum’s security to other chains. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/ethereum-restaking-and-eigenlayer 

Barragan, J. (2023, July). Decoding Smart Contract Events using ABIs. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/decoding-smart-contracts-using-abis 

Barragan, J. (2023, May). MEV Sandwich Attacks and How MEV Bots Execute Automated DeFi Strategies. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/what-is-mev-sandwiching 

Barragan, J. (2023, May). Exploring Order Flow Auctions (OFAs), Maximal Extractable Value (MEV), and the Fair Distribution of Economic Opportunities. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/order-flow-auctions-ofas-and-mev

Barragan, J. (2023, March). Introductory Guide to Account Abstraction (ERC-4337). Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/account-abstraction-erc-4337-guide 

Barragan, J. (2022, December). The Fundamentals of Cross-Chain MEV. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/fundamentals-of-cross-chain-mev 

Barragan, J. (2022, November). Understanding Ethereum Validators & Staking. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/ethereum-validator-staking-guide

Barragan, J. (2022, October). Ethereum Staking Guide to Slashing & Other Penalties. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/an-ethereum-stakers-guide-to-slashing-other-penalties 

Barragan, J. (2022, October). Understanding Proposer/Builder Separation on Ethereum. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/proposer-builder-separation-ethereum

Barragan, J. (2022, April). An Introduction to the Web3 Transaction Lifecycle. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://www.blocknative.com/blog/web3-transaction-lifecycle 

Barragan, J., Still, J., Jevans, A., Clegg, P., & Jevans, D. (2022, April). Current trends in Ransomware with Special Notes on Monero Usage. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://4345106.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4345106/Content/Current%20Trends%20in%20Monero%20Usage%20and%20Ransomware_FINAL.pdf

Barragan, J., (2020, June ). How Impending Virtual Asset Regulations Impact Banks—Even Those That Don’t Think They Do Crypto. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/how-impending-virtual-asset-regulations-impact-banks-even-those-that-dont-think-they-do-crypto/ 

Barragan, J. (2020, March ). Understanding How Chinese Nationals Linked to North Korea Laundered Hundreds of Millions of Dollars’ Worth of Stolen Cryptocurrency Through Several Banks and Cryptocurrency Exchanges. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/chinese-linked-dprk-laundering-analysis/ 

Barragan, J., Still, J., Jevans, A., Clegg, P., & Jevans, D. (2022, June ). Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report June 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://4345106.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4345106/CAML%20Reports/CipherTrace%20Cryptocurrency%20Crime%20and%20Anti-Money%20Laundering%20Report%2c%20June%202022.pdf 

Barragan, J., & Still, J. (2022, April ). Quarterly Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report June 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://4345106.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4345106/CAML%20Reports/CipherTrace%20Cryptocurrency%20Crime%20and%20Anti-Money%20Laundering%20Report%2c%20June%202022.pdf 

Barragan, J., & Still, J., (2021, August ). Quarterly Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report August 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/cryptocurrency-crime-and-anti-money-laundering-report-august-2021/ 

Barragan, J., & Still, J., (2021, May ). Quarterly Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report May 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/cryptocurrency-crime-and-anti-money-laundering-report-may-2021/ 

Barragan, J. (2021, February). Quarterly Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report February 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/2020-year-end-cryptocurrency-crime-and-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2021, January). 2020 Year-End Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report Retrieved. February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/2020-year-end-cryptocurrency-crime-and-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2021, June). Spring Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/2020-year-end-cryptocurrency-crime-and-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2020, June). 2020 Cryptocurrency Geographic Risk Report: VASP KYC by Jurisdiction. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/2020-geo-risk-report-on-vasp-kyc/ 

Barragan, J. (2020, January). Q4 2019 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/q4-2019-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2019, November). Q3 2019 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/q3-2019-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2019, July). Q2 2019 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/q2-2019-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2019, March). Q1 2019 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/articles/q1-2019-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2018, December). Q4 2018 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report-q4-2018/ 

Barragan, J. (2018, September). Q3 2018 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/q3-2018-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/

Barragan, J. (2018, March). Q2 2018 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report Retrieved. February 18, 2024, from https://ciphertrace.com/q2-2018-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/