Crypto-Funded Human Trafficking Is Exploding

Chainalysis research highlights a sharp rise in cryptocurrency-funded human trafficking in 2025—at least an 85% year-over-year increase to hundreds of millions of dollars—driven by Chinese-language Telegram “guarantee” markets using stablecoins like Tether and USDC to facilitate and launder payments. The report links these flows to Southeast Asian scam compounds exploiting forced labor and finds that the largest measurable growth stems from sex trafficking operations, including detailed service advertisements and international arrangements.