Dec 01, 2025
Cryptocurrency giant Tether is wildly profitable. Can it do more to stop financial crime?
At least $1.4 billion of its tokens passed through a crypto wallet linked to scams, hacks, and human trafficking.
cryptocurrency
Nov 26, 2025
Undercover crypto transactions, shady multimillion-dollar schemes, and more Coin Laundry stories from ICIJ’s partners
To investigate the global crypto industry, ICIJ’s media partners stepped inside a shadow economy awash with dirty money.
Nov 20, 2025
How ICIJ traced hundreds of millions from Huione Group to major crypto exchanges
ICIJ's trailblazing blockchain analysis has uncovered how cryptocurrency giants Binance and OKX are key conduits of illicit transactions.
Nov 20, 2025
Hunt for missing millions unmasks one crypto exchange hidden inside another
Kyrrex exploited technology and shell companies while serving suspected fraudsters and pro-Russian military activists, even as its owners claimed the exchange followed anti-money laundering rules.
Nov 17, 2025
Crypto giants moved billions linked to money launderers, drug traffickers and North Korean hackers
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists traced tens of thousands of transactions and found major crypto trading platforms awash with dirty money.
Nov 17, 2025
From Dubai to Toronto, inside the crypto-to-cash storefronts fueling money laundering’s new frontier
These shadowy operations have made it easier than ever to move dirty money around the world. One man is on a mission to expose them.
Nov 17, 2025
The Russian crypto guru’s Hollywood gambit
How the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar crypto scam teamed up with a globe-trotting influencer and a disgraced Oscar winner as he pushed his latest dubious project.
Nov 17, 2025
WATCH: How crypto companies have empowered a shadow economy
As governments grapple with the burgeoning crypto industry, this new investigation from ICIJ reveals how cryptocurrency companies have profited from a new shadow economy that's awash with crime.
Nov 17, 2025
From trading bans to total embrace, a global guide to crypto regulation
Across jurisdictions, governments are struggling to rein in a volatile industry worth more than $3 trillion, leading to patchy oversight.
Nov 17, 2025
WATCH: Cryptocurrency exchanges, explained
Are cryptocurrency exchanges the banks of the digital world? While there are some similarities, there are also important differences.
Nov 17, 2025
About The Coin Laundry investigation
The investigation reveals how crypto companies profited from crime while victims were financially ruined.
Nov 17, 2025
Frequently asked questions about The Coin Laundry investigation
What’s a blockchain? Is The Coin Laundry based on leaked documents? Are crypto transactions anonymous? These questions and more, answered.
Sep 25, 2025
Cryptocurrency exchange Garantex lives on despite sanctions, new report unveils
The ostensibly shuttered exchange continues to operate through Telegram-based services that facilitate crossborder payments, according to Transparency International Russia (in exile).
Jul 18, 2025
Landmark cryptocurrency legislation passes US House, to be signed into law by President Trump
Congress advances a series of crypto bills aimed at creating regulatory frameworks while critics warn of financial risks, citing gaps in provisions to combat cross-border dirty money flows.
Mar 04, 2025
EU sanctions Russian crypto exchange Garantex
The sanctions comes after an ICIJ investigation linked Garantex to actors in the Russian government and criminal organizations.
Feb 11, 2025
Canadian businessman sentenced to US prison for concealing bitcoin stash
Prosecutors say Firoz Patel, who was the subject of a Pandora Papers investigation, attempted to hide more than $40 million worth of cryptocurrency.
Aug 21, 2024
A UK court ordered a global asset freeze for the ‘Cryptoqueen’ and her OneCoin associates
ICIJ previously found that OneCoin’s founder Ruja Ignatova and some of her associates had bought properties worth millions in Dubai while promoting the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme.
May 20, 2024
New US Treasury strategy targets crypto scams and real estate money laundering
Officials touted upcoming moves to close regulatory loopholes that could expose the United States’ financial system to evolving threats.