This paper was made for the purpose of researching public awareness of the state of the capital market and cryptocurrencies, i.e., how the conflict of interest affects these markets. The theoretical part deals with basic terms related to the capital market, and terms such as ethics, corruption and conflict of interest. The paper deals with some of the most common types of malfeasance in the capital market and cryptocurrencies, namely: pyramid and “ponzi” schemes, insider trading and “pump&dump” schemes. Also, four concrete examples of fraud on capital markets were presented. Examples are presented in the cases of the Internet stock exchange “FTX”, the company “Bernard L. Madoff investment securities”, the company “Enron” and the company “Stratton Oakmont”. The aim of the conducted survey is to show how society perceives the role of the market on their lives, and the role of conflicts of interest in market events. The research was done using a survey consisting of eighteen questions. The research was conducted on a sample of 36 respondents, chosen by random method, that is, without target characteristics of the respondents. The conducted research proved that the respondents' awareness of the capital market and cryptocurrencies is very low and that they believe that this market does not affect their everyday life. The respondents also confirmed that society is very aware of the problem of corruption and conflicts of interest in Croatia, and they believe that the responsibility for committed acts of corruption is too low.