Chainalysis reported that cryptocurrency transaction volume linked to suspected human trafficking networks increased by 85% in 2025, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services.
The analytics firm said many of the networks were based in Southeast Asia and were closely aligned with scam compounds, online casinos and Chinese-language money-laundering operations.
“Unlike cash transactions that leave no trace, the transparency of blockchain technology provides unprecedented visibility into these operations, creating unique opportunities for detection and disruption that would be impossible with traditional payment methods,”
Chainalysis said.
The company said it tracked crypto-facilitated trafficking activities including Telegram-based escort services, labour placement agents linked to scam compounds, prostitution networks and vendors of child sexual abuse material.
Stablecoins were the dominant payment method for international escort services and prostitution networks, reflecting a preference for dollar-pegged digital assets in cross-border transactions.
Chainalysis noted that identifiable transaction patterns, compliance monitoring and chokepoints at exchanges could help authorities detect and disrupt illicit networks more effectively than cash-based systems.
The firm cited recent enforcement actions, including German authorities dismantling a child sexual exploitation platform, as examples of how blockchain analysis has supported investigations into trafficking-related activity.