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Crypto-linked human trafficking payments surged 85% in 2025, Chainalysis report finds

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Bitcoin risk-reward has shifted after recent selloff

Cryptocurrency use for transactions involving human trafficking surged 85% in 2025.

Summary

  • Cryptocurrency use in human trafficking transactions surged in 2025 through cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, XMR and stablecoins.
  • Telegram-based escort networks and CSAM vendors accounted for a large share of tracked crypto flows.
  • Payments were primarily routed through stablecoins, laundering networks, and escrow platforms based in Southeast Asia.

According to a Feb. 13 Chainalysis report, which tracked cryptocurrency-facilitated human trafficking payments tied to escort services, labor recruiters connected to Southeast Asian scam compounds, and child sexual abuse material, among other categories, the networks comprised cryptocurrency transactions valued at “hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services.”

Chainalysis said that the various payment methods involved ranged from Bitcoin and alternative Layer 1 tokens to stablecoins. Meanwhile, platforms involved with facilitating these transactions included Chinese-language money laundering networks and various Telegram-based services that operated guarantee and escrow mechanisms to coordinate and confirm payments.

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Large transactions were primarily centered around Telegram-based international escort networks, with 48.8% of each transaction exceeding $10,000. These platforms were mostly reliant on stablecoin payments, per the report.

Transactions in connection with CSAM were smaller in size, with an average value under $100. However, one platform tracked by Chainalysis had reportedly used over 5,800 cryptocurrency addresses and accumulated over $530,000 since July 2022. These platforms, which previously operated primarily using Bitcoin (BTC), were found to be using privacy-focused Monero (XMR) to launder the proceeds.

“Instant exchangers, which provide rapid and anonymous cryptocurrency swapping without KYC requirements, play a crucial role in this process,” Chainalysis said.

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Meanwhile, Scam compounds use a combination of Telegram-based recruitment channels, guarantee platforms like Tudou and Xinbi, and stablecoin payment rails to coordinate and process payments.

As previously reported by crypto.news, these organizations lure in victims through fake job offers before forcing them to operate various crypto-linked scams under inhumane conditions.

Chainalysis was able to trace the flow of funds from several different countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, and Australia, to Chinese-language services that processed large-scale stablecoin transactions and facilitated laundering through Southeast Asian trafficking networks.

“While traditional trafficking routes and patterns persist, these Southeast Asian services exemplify how cryptocurrency technology enables trafficking operations to facilitate payments and obscure money flows across borders more efficiently than ever before,” Chanalysis said.

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Cryptocurrency technology has long been criticized for supporting criminal activity by helping bad actors circumvent traditional financial controls and oversight. Recently, there has been renewed scrutiny over its role in ransom demands and alleged links to early crypto investments associated with Jeffrey Epstein.

However, Chainalysis notes that the underlying blockchain technology can be leveraged to detect and disrupt trafficking operations, as it offers visibility that is not possible with cash transactions. 

It urged compliance teams and law enforcement to adopt proactive monitoring strategies and track key risk indicators.

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Bitcoin Price Prediction Heats Up as Nakamoto Inc Sells $20M in BTC and Pepeto Eyes 100x Before Listing

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Bitcoin Price Prediction Heats Up as Nakamoto Inc Sells $20M in BTC and Pepeto Eyes 100x Before Listing

Nakamoto Inc, the bitcoin treasury firm chaired by entrepreneur David Bailey, quietly sold 284 BTC for $20 million during March at an average price of $70,422 per coin, a price Bitcoin has not touched since, while Strategy continues targeting one million BTC by year end with holdings now at 762,099 coins according to 99Bitcoins. The contrast between one treasury selling and another aggressively buying tells you everything about where conviction sits in this market.

Pepeto has pulled in more than $8.69 million during this exact fear window, locking early holders into a fixed entry before the approaching Binance listing shifts the price permanently, and this bitcoin price prediction breakdown shows where committed capital is flowing while the crowd waits.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Shifts as Strategy Targets 1 Million BTC While Nakamoto Inc Takes Profits

Strategy now controls 762,099 BTC and is targeting one million coins by the end of 2026, funded through $1.2 billion in perpetual preferred shares called STRC that hit $300 million in single-day trading volume according to FinanceFeeds.

Exchange reserves dropped to a six year low of 2.31 million BTC per BeInCrypto, and the Fear and Greed Index sits at 8, the lowest reading since October 2023, a level that has historically produced positive 14-day forward returns 78% of the time according to Blockchain Magazine.

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The Fear and Greed Index in single digits is a reading that only appeared a handful of times before, and each time preceded recoveries that turned the bitcoin price prediction from bearish to explosive for holders who bought while everyone else was selling.

BTC Forecast Meets Presale Positioning in the Fear Zone

Pepeto Builds What Pepe Never Had and the Presale Proves It

Traders tracking the bitcoin price prediction are looking past surface level forecasts, they want an entry that places them before returns are already priced in. Pepeto is where that entry forms right now, created by the cofounder who built the original Pepe coin to an $11 billion peak with zero exchange tools.

The smart capital wants positioning before exchange listing removes the presale price permanently. Pepeto sits at $0.000000186 with a Binance listing approaching, and analysts project 100x to 300x from current levels, a gap that disappears the moment trading opens. More than $8.69 million raised during extreme fear confirms conviction money entering while the broader market hesitates, and every week that number climbs higher while the entry you are reading about right now gets one round closer to disappearing.

Pepeto stands apart because its exchange platform already runs and earns from every direction the market moves. PepetoSwap processes trades at zero cost so the position you build stays larger than it would on any platform taking a cut from both sides. The risk scorer checks every contract before you buy, so the money you move in stays protected while others learn the hard way which tokens were built to drain them.

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Staking at 190% APY stacks a passive return while the listing approaches. Every day the presale stays open is one more day you could be inside earning, and the wallets entering now through Pepeto are building positions that listing day converts into returns everyone outside will wish they had secured when this price still existed.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Holds Near $68,839 as Exchange Supply Reaches Cycle Lows

Bitcoin trades near $68,839 according to CoinMarketCap after weeks of range-bound consolidation as geopolitical tensions keep capital in defensive positions.

The 46% decline from October’s $126,210 all time high leaves BTC between $66,000 and $70,000, with Bernstein maintaining a $150,000 year end target citing Q1 ETF inflows of $18.7 billion per CoinDesk.

Strategy now controls 762,099 BTC according to filings, the highest corporate holding on record, while Nakamoto Inc’s $20M sale at $70,422 shows not all treasuries share the same conviction. The math from $68,839 to $150,000 delivers roughly 119% over months, real money but a fraction of what presale entries return when a confirmed listing sits weeks away.

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Bitcoin Price Prediction and the Presale Window That Fear Built

The bitcoin price prediction reveals a market pinned between fear and institutional buying, with BTC showing real corporate backing despite short term weakness. These are tested assets with active capital behind them, but timing in crypto cycles decides everything. Early BTC holders turned a few hundred dollars into generational wealth, and all of them say they wish they had bought more when no one was paying attention.

That pattern is forming around Pepeto now, with more than $8.69 million locked by wallets that see the signal before the Binance listing removes the presale price permanently. The capital flowing through the Pepeto official website is choosing which side of the listing it lands on before the window shuts.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs:

What Is the Latest Bitcoin Price Prediction for 2026?

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Analysts target $150,000 by year end as Strategy accumulates 762,099 BTC during extreme fear, with BTC holding near $68,839 and Q1 ETF inflows reaching $18.7 billion.

Why Do Investors Compare BTC Forecasts With Presale Entries?

BTC’s projected move to $150,000 represents 119% gain over months, while presale entries before a confirmed listing deliver wider returns in a shorter window through the Pepeto official website.

Is Pepeto a Strong Entry During This Fear Cycle?

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The bitcoin price prediction cycle rewards early positioning, and Pepeto with more than $8.69 million raised and a Binance listing approaching gives early holders a confirmed entry before the presale price disappears permanently.


Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

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Fed’s Barr Calls for Balanced US Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act

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Federal Reserve, Legislation, United States, Stablecoin, Genius Act

US Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr said Tuesday that clearer US stablecoin rules could speed the market’s growth, but warned that regulators still need to address money laundering risks, bank run risks and consumer safeguards as they implement the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.

Speaking at a Federalist Society event on stablecoin regulation, Barr said the law provides “needed clarity” for issuers, but that “a great deal will depend on how federal and state regulators implement the statute.”

Barr said stablecoins are still used mainly for crypto trading and as a US dollar store of value in some foreign markets, though they could also lower remittance costs, speed up trade finance processing and help firms manage treasury operations. He also highlighted the risk of bad actors buying stablecoins in secondary markets without identity checks, and said issuers may be tempted to stretch for yield in reserve assets in ways that undermine confidence during stress.

Barr’s speech also cast the stablecoin debate in historical terms. He said private money has a “long and painful history” when safeguards are weak, pointing to the Free Banking Era in the US, the Panic of 1907, money market fund stress during the global financial crisis and COVID-19 shock, and more recent stablecoin valuation pressure as reasons to be cautious about any asset marketed as redeemable at par on demand.

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Barr’s remarks come as US agencies move from legislation to rule-writing. The US Treasury Department opened a second round of public comment on implementing the GENIUS Act in September 2025, saying the law must be translated into rules that both encourage innovation and address illicit finance, consumer protections and financial stability risks.

Federal Reserve, Legislation, United States, Stablecoin, Genius Act
Brief Remarks on Stablecoins. Source: Federal Reserve

Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman told lawmakers in February that banking regulators were already working on capital and liquidity rules for stablecoin issuers, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chair Travis Hill said in March that the agency does not expect stablecoins to receive deposit insurance under the law.

Related: Who gets the yield? CLARITY Act becomes fight over onchain dollars

Barr warns GENIUS Act rollout will test stablecoin safeguards

Barr’s speech signals where the implementation fights may land. He flagged reserve asset rules, regulatory arbitrage, the scope of issuer activities beyond issuance, capital and liquidity requirements, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks and consumer protection standards as the key issues still to be settled.

The GENIUS Act, signed into law on July 18, 2025, created a federal framework for payment stablecoins in the United States. The law requires issuers to maintain one-to-one backing with reserve assets such as US dollars and Treasury bills, and is expected to take effect 18 months after signing or 120 days after final agency rules are completed.

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Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026