
China-linked Xinbi Processed $17.9B in Crypto Flows as Guarantee Services Moved Off Telegram
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On-chain laundering surges to $82B as Chinese-language networks entrench a resilient underground market
Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis finds on-chain laundering ballooned to about $82 billion in 2025, driven by rising market liquidity and more professionalized laundering services. Chinese-language crews now handle a sizable share of that volume through messaging-platform hubs, mule networks and OTC-style trading that preserve operational continuity under enforcement pressure.
Illicit crypto proceeds jump to $158 billion in 2025 as bad actors professionalize, TRM report shows
TRM Labs finds criminal actors moved about $158 billion in digital assets in 2025 even as illicit activity fell to roughly 1.2% of total volume; the report warns the rise stems from more organized laundering ecosystems that exploit stablecoins, bespoke wallet clusters and peer-mediated on‑ramps. Language‑specific networks, broker and mule infrastructures, and resilient messaging‑app marketplaces are enabling faster, harder‑to‑freeze flows that demand coordinated FIU, exchange and platform responses.
China-led mBridge posts $55.5B in cross-border CBDC flows as e-CNY use surges
A China-backed multi-CBDC settlement network has processed roughly $55.5 billion across just over 4,000 transfers, with the digital yuan driving most volume. Domestic e-CNY activity is also expanding rapidly and Beijing’s move to allow interest on digital balances signals a strategy to deepen both domestic and international uptake.

U.S. Justice Department seizes $578M in crypto tied to Chinese syndicates
The U.S. Department of Justice announced it froze and seized roughly $578 million in digital assets tied to transnational Chinese criminal groups, an enforcement action framed as a path to victim restitution. Federal tracing and seizure work — including U.S. Marshals‑led blockchain forensics coordinated with private analytics vendors — underscores both growing interagency muscle and the operational limits imposed by mixers, bridges and fast‑moving laundering chains.
Over 60% of Crypto Press Releases Linked to High‑Risk Projects — U.S. Analysis Flags Industry Weakness
A research review of nearly 2,900 crypto press releases found that a majority came from projects with warning signs or confirmed fraud, while only a tiny fraction reported substantive business developments. The study argues that paid distribution networks and site syndication let risky issuers masquerade as legitimate news, amplifying SEO reach and investor exposure to deception.
Global crypto thefts jump to $370.3M in January as phishing and large scam dominate losses
January’s crypto losses reached about $370.3M, driven mainly by phishing and one outsized social‑engineering theft; contemporaneous reports — including a 149M‑credential infostealer cache and a TRM Labs review of 2025 flows — help explain why credential theft and sophisticated laundering continue to magnify single‑incident impact and frustrate trace-and-freeze responses.

Institutional Money Returns to Crypto as On‑Chain Credit Moves Toward Mainstream
Early 2026 has seen roughly $1.4 billion of institutional and venture capital flow into digital‑asset companies and tokenized‑finance deals, anchored by a large stablecoin growth round, a custodian public listing and a $75M on‑chain credit package. These transactions, together with rising stablecoin liquidity and clearer custody expectations, signal a structural tilt toward compliance‑first infrastructure and ledger‑native settlement—but scaling depends on regulatory clarity and macro conditions.

Crypto payments accelerate human-trafficking networks across Southeast Asia
New blockchain-forensics research shows a steep 2025 uptick in cryptocurrency-funded human‑trafficking activity in Southeast Asia concentrated on messaging platforms; traffickers route payments mainly through dollar‑pegged stablecoins and use Telegram-based escrow and cash‑out markets. These trafficking flows sit inside a wider professionalized laundering ecosystem — brokers, mule networks and language‑specific trading venues — that increases resilience to takedowns and raises the need for cross‑platform, cross‑jurisdiction disruption.