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Updated 9 October 2026BG-EXPERT

BRIDGES expert

Tomas Linder

Compliance and AML Officer, BRIDGES

I prove that capital is clean when the usual documents are missing: crypto, DeFi, income without payslips. I produce source-of-funds reports to standards that authorities and banks accept. Sixteen years in AML, at BRIDGES since 2020.

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Tomas Linder, Compliance and AML Officer, BRIDGES
16 yearsin anti-money laundering and capital checks
since 2020at BRIDGES, crypto capital and complex sources of funds
DubaiBRIDGES UAE office
4 languagesLatvian, Russian, English, Swedish

Path

Riga, Tallinn, Zug, Dubai

Riga, Tallinn, Zug, Dubai. First AML at a bank, then blockchain analytics, now source of funds for BRIDGES clients whose capital does not fit into certificates.

  1. 1987Riga

    Born in Riga into a Latvian-Swedish family and went to a Russian-language school. From childhood he spoke three languages and took computers apart.

  2. 2005-2010Riga

    Faculty of computer science and finance. Thesis on finding suspicious transactions by patterns in bank data.

  3. 2010-2016Riga

    Six years as an AML analyst at a bank serving non-residents. He saw banks close thousands of accounts and realised that an honest client lacks not money but proof.

  4. 2016-2020Tallinn and Zug

    A blockchain analytics company: transaction tracing, crypto source reports for exchanges and banks. He learned to turn hashes into a story a reviewer can follow.

  5. 2020BRIDGES

    Joined BRIDGES when there were many clients with crypto capital and banks and authorities did not know how to check them. He built the standard for source-of-funds reports.

  6. TodayDubai

    Compliance and AML specialist at BRIDGES. Matters where capital was earned in crypto, DeFi or without the usual documents go through Tomas.

Approach to cases

Six rules that do not depend on the country

Six rules Tomas applies when proving the source of capital.

  1. 01The blockchain is a document too

    Every transaction is visible on the network. The task is to turn hashes into a clear story the reviewer will accept.

  2. 02To recognised standards

    We build the report on FATF recommendations: the same questions are asked by banks and authorities in any country.

  3. 03The whole chain, no gaps

    From the first purchase to today’s wallet. One missing step and the check will stop right there.

  4. 04Tax that is legal and clear

    Crypto income is placed into the country’s tax regime, not left in a grey zone.

  5. 05Mixers and dubious platforms on the table at once

    If the history includes risky addresses, we say so before filing and explain them rather than wait for the question.

  6. 06A report readable without a glossary

    A reviewer need not be a blockchain expert. We write so that the authority’s lawyer understands.

Talks and media

Conferences and meetings

Tomas speaks at technology and investment conferences about crypto capital and checks. You can book a meeting in advance.

Upcoming conferences

Tomas online

BRIDGES on Instagram BRIDGES on LinkedIn BRIDGES YouTube channel

Beyond work

Code, the desert and the northern sea

At BRIDGES people come to me who earned honestly but cannot prove it with the usual papers. I love the moment when hundreds of transactions come together in one clear story and the reviewer says: no questions.

I am from Riga, lived in Tallinn and Switzerland, and now live in Dubai with my wife. I miss the cold sea, and every summer I take the family to the Baltic, to my grandfather’s house in Jūrmala.

I write code for fun and collect old computers. At weekends I ride a mountain bike in the desert at dawn, before the heat, and play chess online.

CryptoDubaiCodeCyclingThe Baltic

Situations

What people come with

These are the questions clients most often bring to Tomas.

Crypto capital and a residence programme Source of funds without payslips Income from DeFi, staking and liquidity poolsA bank will not accept money from selling crypto Tax on crypto income after a moveCitizenship by merit for a Web3 developer A source-of-funds report to FATF standardsRisky addresses in a wallet’s historyConverting crypto capital into fiat legally

Case stories

Three matters in Tomas’ own words

How a Crypto Investor Proved the Source of 600,000 EUR from DeFi and Obtained Malta Residence Permit

Malta · PR

600 thousand euros without a single statement

Kirill, 26, earned about 600,000 euros from memecoins and DeFi liquidity pools. Not a single payslip, only blockchain transactions, and the authority saw signs of laundering in that.

I produced a source-of-funds report to FATF standards: hash tracing from the first purchase to today’s wallet, an explanation of every transaction. The authority accepted the report without further questions.

Outcome: Source of funds accepted, Malta PR granted

Read the full case

How a Web3 Developer Legalized Crypto Capital and Obtained Maltese Citizenship by Merit

Malta · citizenship by merit

Capital earned with code

Nikita, 24, a Web3 developer, earned 1.2 million euros from early DeFi and his own protocol. Every bank looked at him with suspicion: no papers, only the blockchain.

We carried out blockchain forensics and produced a source-of-funds report. And Nikita’s contribution to the technology community became the ground for citizenship by merit.

Outcome: Capital confirmed, the road to Maltese citizenship open

Read the full case

How crypto-staking income was classified under Malta's tax regime (GRP)

Malta · tax

Income that seemed to belong to no one

Zhang kept receiving staking income but did not understand where to pay tax on it: the income seemed to belong to no one. He did not want to go into a grey zone.

We placed staking into Malta’s tax regime: foreign income is taxed at 15% only when it is brought into Malta. We keep records of every payout.

Outcome: Staking income taxed legally and predictably

Read the full case

Reviews

What Tomas’ clients say

Client reviews from matters Tomas ran: who the client is, where they are from, which programme - and a link to the full case.

BRIDGES client reviews

LeonidLeonidBRIDGES client
Malta · Tax

Buying a home in Malta with crypto seemed unrealistic. Tomas ran the conversion through a vetted exchange and a blockchain audit. The home is bought, and permanent residence granted.

Read the case
LiLiCryptocurrency holder from China
Nauru · Citizenship

In China everything around crypto is restricted. Tomas helped me get a Nauru passport and set up access to crypto infrastructure outside the country.

Read the case
ArsenyArsenyCryptocurrency Investor
Saint Kitts and Nevis · Citizenship by investment

Income in Ethereum had to be proven to the strict St Kitts check. Tomas assembled a file on wallets, exchanges and withdrawals, and we passed the check.

Read the case
All client reviews →

Materials

16 materials written by Tomas

BRIDGES knowledge base materials signed by Tomas: crypto and residence programmes, source of funds, tax on crypto income.

Citizenship7 Reasons Why Background Checks Take Longer During Citizenship AcquisitionJune 2026CitizenshipIsraeli Citizenship Denial: 8 Main Reasons and How to Avoid ThemJune 2026CitizenshipRequirements for Malta Citizenship: Documents, Residency Period, Language, and Background ChecksJune 2026CitizenshipPortuguese citizenship for Russians in 2026: paths, 10-year qualification, dual citizenship and sanctionsJune 2026CitizenshipChecking the applicant (due diligence) for Turkish citizenship in 2026CitizenshipVanuatu citizenship with a criminal record or after refusal elsewhereSeptember 2026CitizenshipHow to renounce Vanuatu citizenshipSeptember 2026BRIDGES analysisThe Strictness Index of Citizenship Programme ChecksAugust 2026ResidencyCryptocurrency as a Source of Funds for Cyprus Residence Permit in 2026June 2026ResidencyExtension of residence permit in Cyprus in 2026: deadlines, documents and reasons for refusalJune 2026ResidencyGreece Golden Visa for Russians in 2026: Eligibility, Sanctions, Compliance and PaymentJune 2026ResidencyProperty in Greece for Russians in 2026: how to buy legally, payment, sanctions, residencyJune 2026ResidencyGreece visa refusal in 2026: causes, what to do, appealJune 2026ResidencyReal estate in Portugal for Russians in 2026: a legal purchase, payment, and complianceJune 2026ResidencyA Portugal visa refusal in 2026: reasons, what to do, appealJune 2026ResidencyRenewing a Turkey residence permit in 2026: timeframes, documents, and refusal causes
Showing 16 of 16

BRIDGES sections

Where this practice applies

Digital assets Source-of-funds review Citizenship by investment Residence by investment Client cases How BRIDGES works

Team

Who runs the work alongside Tomas

A matter is never run by one person: the legal position, the filing, the documents and the work on the ground each have a named owner.

Klara RihterKlara RihterHead of Compliance and Due DiligenceCompliance department and applicant checksDmitry NagyDmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax on crypto incomeNikos PappasNikos PappasBanking Relations SpecialistBanks and conversion to fiatDaniel KovachDaniel KovachSenior International Law AttorneyLegal position in complex matters

All BRIDGES experts

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice