The Currency analytics
By Sydney TheCMO
Cryptocurrency transactions tied to human trafficking shot up 85% in 2025. The numbers are staggering.
Chainalysis dropped new data showing these illegal payments hit hundreds of millions of dollars last year, way up from 2024.
International escort services and prostitution networks lean heavily on stablecoins because the prices don't swing wildly like Bitcoin does.
The transaction sizes tell their own story about how these networks operate. Escort services deal in big money - nearly half of all payments exceed $10,000, showing these aren't…
CSAM operations work differently, with many transactions under $100. There's been a shift toward subscription models that provide steady income streams rather than one-off…
Things get murky with money laundering. In 2025, CSAM operators increasingly turned to Monero and instant exchangers to clean their proceeds.
US infrastructure has been leveraged for trafficking-linked services, boosting their scale and credibility.
Chainalysis CEO Michael Gronager said during a February 15, 2026 press briefing: "While the technology provides unprecedented transparency, the complexity and scale of these…
Law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia are ramping up their focus on online gambling and scam compounds. These entities often serve as fronts for trafficking operations.
Instant cryptocurrency exchangers play a big role in facilitating money laundering for trafficking activities.
But there have been some wins. In December 2025, a coordinated Europol operation dismantled a major trafficking network that used cryptocurrencies for transactions.
Interpol launched a new initiative in January 2026 aimed at enhancing cross-border collaboration on cryptocurrency-related crimes.
The Financial Action Task Force released a report in February 2026 on cryptocurrency exchanges' role in facilitating illegal transactions.
A University of Sydney study published in January 2026 found that most cryptocurrency transactions linked to human trafficking originate from just a handful of countries.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in February 2026 the indictment of several individuals involved in a human trafficking ring that operated through cryptocurrency…