US EditionNancy Guthrie disappearance highlights cryptocurrency’s role in criminal activity
- Yesterday, Chainalysis, a crypto-tracing firm, said a 2026 report shows crypto-funded transactions for human trafficking grew at least 85 in 2025 to US$260 million.
- Cryptocurrency's speed and cross-border reach allowed human trafficking syndicates in Southeast Asia to launder profits and scale operations rapidly.
- On Thursday, Chainalysis found that crypto transactions for human trafficking grew at least 85 percent in 2025, with many transactions on Telegram escrow markets like Xinbi Guarantee accepting stablecoins such as Tether and USDC.
- That visibility allowed analysts and law enforcement to trace crypto flows linked to trafficking, even as scam compounds and sex-trafficking networks expand, producing tens of billions in cybercrime revenue.
- Chainalysis found the biggest gains came from sex‑trafficking operations, with Chinese‑language Telegram advertisements detailing sex-worker profiles and references to minors, amid scam compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Crypto Has Finally Found Its Killer App: Human Trafficking
Cryptocurrencies have long been lauded for being a borderless, decentralized way to transfer cash — and while they’ve emerged as a major speculative asset, fans have often struggled to point to a real-world use case for them. But thanks to a broad lack of regulation and the ability to carry out transactions via anonymous accounts, crypto have become incredibly popular for a distinctly grim use: funding human trafficking operations, from trapping…
South China Morning Post
Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market CapMore Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds
The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.
Bitcoinist
Bitcoin InsiderCrypto’s Dark Side: Funds To Suspected Human Traffickers Climb 85% In 2025
Crypto transfers tied to suspected human trafficking networks surged 85% year over year in 2025, according to Chainalysis. Reports say the total volume reached hundreds of millions of dollars across services that investigators have linked to forced labor operations, prostitution rings, and the sale of child sexual abuse material. The firm said much of the activity it tracked was concentrated in Southeast Asia, where trafficking networks have bee…
Key news points: Chainalysis indicates that the crypto linked to trafficking services rose 85% in 2025 to hundreds of millions, including escort, prostitution, job placement and child sexual abuse material. Stablecoins dominate the flows to escort and prostitution, and nearly half of the transactions tracked exceeded $10,000, reinforcing compliance critical points in exchanges and issuers. Sellers use subscriptions and layer washing; one site us…
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