This project develops an agent-based simulation framework to analyse how market-abuse behaviours—such as wash trading, spoofing, and coordinated manipulation—emerge and spread across UK crypto-asset trading platforms. In response to evolving regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority, it aims to assess whether increased surveillance and enforcement will reduce consumer harm or displace abusive practices across platforms or jurisdictions. By modelling interactions between heterogeneous traders, market structures, and regulatory interventions, the research provides a novel, simulation-based approach to understanding market dynamics and informing more effective crypto-market regulation.
Researchers
- Dr Babak Naysary, Birmingham City University Business School
- Prof. Manuel Davila Delgado, Birmingham City University Business School
Project Details
- Collaboration: Birmingham City University and University of Luxembourg
- Duration: February 2026 – July 2026
- Project funding: £5000
- Funding: BCU Small Research Grants Scheme 2025/26 (amount not specified)
- Research Centre: Centre for Accountancy, Finance and Economics (CAFE), BCU Business School
- Strategic Themes: Digital Innovation; Equitable Societies
- UN SDGs: SDG 9, SDG 10, SDG 11, SDG 16
