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The United Kingdom has sanctioned Xinbi, a crypto marketplace linked to scam centres in Southeast Asia, in its latest move against fraud networks and human rights abuse. The action was announced on 26 March 2026 by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. The measures target individuals and entities accused of supporting online scams that have affected victims in the UK and beyond.
The UK said Xinbi operated as a crypto marketplace that supported scam networks in Southeast Asia. Officials described it as a Chinese-language platform that provided services and tools used by fraud operators. These included access to stolen personal data and communication equipment.
The sanctions were issued under the UK’s global human rights sanctions regime. Under that framework, designated people and businesses can have assets frozen and face restrictions on financial access. The move forms part of a wider effort to disrupt scam centers and related support systems.
UK minister Stephen Doughty said the action was meant to send a direct warning to those involved. He said, “Our sanctions today send a clear message: We will not allow British people to become victims of these dreadful scams or tolerate the awful human rights abuses perpetrated in these scam centers."
Reports tied Xinbi to an estimated $20 billion in total transaction volume. This number refers to activity processed through the marketplace and not to confirmed illicit proceeds. The figure has drawn attention to the size of the network around the platform.
At the same time, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis gave a separate figure for the broader Huione Group, which it described as related but distinct from Xinbi. According to the estimate, Huione Group received more than $98 billion in crypto inflows between August 2021 and January 2025. This number covers total inflows, not only funds tied to fraud.
The US Treasury gave a narrower figure in November 2025. It said confirmed illicit proceeds linked to Huione Group reached $4 billion. Taken together, the numbers show why authorities have focused on marketplaces and payment channels tied to scam operations in the region.
The latest measures follow earlier joint action by the UK and the United States against Cambodia-based scam networks. In October and November 2025, both countries targeted the Prince Group, which authorities linked to scam compounds in the region. This previous round focused on people, businesses, and assets tied to the network.
According to the information provided, the earlier operation led to arrests across the region and the freezing or seizure of assets worth more than £1 billion. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned 146 targets of the Prince Group. The UK used the same global human rights sanctions regime in that case.
In the March 2026 action, the UK also named Legend Innovation, which it identified as the operator of a Cambodian compound known as “#8 Park.” Authorities described that site as the largest scam compound in Cambodia, with a capacity for 20,000 trafficked workers. The UK said scam centres in the region have used fake investment offers and false romantic approaches to steal money from victims around the world.
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