Cryptocurrency payments to suspected human trafficking syndicates rose 85% in 2025, according to a new Chainalysis report. The blockchain analytics firm traced hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions across public ledgers. Investigators linked most activity to a growing criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia that connects scam compounds, illegal gambling, and money laundering networks.
The inquiry found that traffickers rely on digital assets to move funds across borders with speed and scale. The firm said customers sent payments from North and South America, Europe, and Australia. The data shows that criminal networks now operate with global reach through blockchain-based transfers.
The study linked most activity to Southeast Asia, where organized groups coordinate scam compounds, illegal online gambling platforms, and Chinese-language digital asset laundering networks. These operations function together and process payments through cryptocurrency channels.
Geographic analysis of international escort services in 2025 shows that Southeast Asian groups, especially Chinese-language operations, expanded rapidly through crypto adoption. Networks spanning mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Southeast Asian countries built sophisticated payment systems.
Large cryptocurrency transfers flowed from Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia. The diversity of sending countries shows that these networks developed infrastructure capable of handling cross-border transactions at scale.
While traditional trafficking routes continue, cryptocurrency allows faster transfers and fewer barriers. The blockchain ledger records each movement of funds. That transparency offers insight into patterns that once remained hidden.
The research divided crypto activity linked to trafficking into three categories. These include international escort and courtesan services, labor placement agents tied to scam compounds, and vendors of child sexual abuse material.
The analysis of transaction data shows multiple ways businesses operate. International escort
services recorded the highest share of large transfers. Approximately 48.8% of transactions increased beyond $10,000, which indicates that organized businesses operated at their full capacity. Trafficking networks showed different methods of operation than their normal pattern.
The transfer operations showed a range where 62% of transfers moved between $1,000 and $10,000. The observed grouping indicates that the agency maintained its operations through organizational structures instead of employing single agents. The vendors of child sexual abuse material accepted cryptocurrency as their preferred method of payment. The Internet Watch Foundation reported 312,030 cases containing abusive images and videos in 2025, marking a 7% increase from the previous year.
Chris Hughes, Hotline Director at the Internet Watch Foundation, said most clear websites offering virtual currency payments for abusive content operate in the United States. Dark websites ranked second. The foundation collects payment data and shares it with law enforcement and groups such as Chainalysis to disrupt distribution networks.
Criminal organizations use Telegram as their main platform to advertise their services, recruit victims, and handle financial transactions. Intelligence analyst Tom McLouth described a migration from older darknet forums to semi-open messaging ecosystems.
Cryptocurrency supports that shift by enabling direct peer-to-peer transfers without traditional banking channels. Yet blockchain transparency also provides visibility into financial flows. The report said public ledgers offer investigators unprecedented access to transaction data.
Watchdogs and authorities use that information to track and disrupt criminal activity.
McLouth said the financial scale reaches at least hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency transactions. He added that the physical harm connected to these crimes exceeds any monetary figure. As trafficking networks expand across borders through digital payments, one question remains: can blockchain transparency outpace the speed at which these criminal ecosystems grow?
The Chainalysis report found that cryptocurrency payments to human trafficking syndicates rose 85% in 2025, with strong links to Southeast Asia criminal and money laundering networks. Telegram messaging platforms helped coordinate global transfers. Blockchain transparency now plays a critical role in tracking and disrupting these illicit financial flows.