Crypto flows to human trafficking services will increase by 85% to hundreds of millions by 2025

As Epstein-related revelations emerged, new data shows that crypto payments to suspected human trafficking services will increase by 85% globally by 2025.

While global attention remains fixated on the ongoing release and scrutiny of emails and documents linked to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, attention has shifted to the way exploitation networks operate and move money.

Against this backdrop, a new report from Chainalysis revealed that cryptocurrency flows into suspected human trafficking-related services will surge in 2025. Transaction volumes reached hundreds of millions of dollars, up 85% year-over-year. Although the figures quantify financial activity, the report emphasizes that the real costs of these crimes are borne by victims and not by balance sheets.

Crypto activity linked to human trafficking

The increase in crypto-related trading activity has occurred alongside the expansion of Southeast Asia-based scam links, online gambling operations and Chinese-language money laundering and guarantee networks, many of which operate openly on Telegram and form a closely linked illicit ecosystem with a global reach.

Unlike cash-based systems, blockchain transparency helps researchers trace these flows, creating opportunities to identify and disrupt networks that would otherwise remain hidden. Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis followed four primary categories of suspected cryptocurrency-facilitated trafficking: wire-based “international escort services” suspected of human trafficking; “job placement agents” linked to kidnapping and forced labor in scam complexes; prostitution networks; and sellers of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Payment behavior differs per category. “International escort” services and prostitution networks rely almost entirely on stablecoins because they prioritize price stability and ease of conversion, but CSAM suppliers have historically favored Bitcoin. However, its dominance is waning as alternative Layer 1 networks and privacy tools emerge.

Escort services were found to be deeply integrated with Chinese-language money laundering networks that quickly convert stablecoins into local currencies and reduce exposure to asset freezes by centralized issuers. Transaction size analysis points to professionalized operations, as nearly 49% of “international escort service” transfers exceed $10,000, consistent with organized enterprises operating on a large scale.

Meanwhile, prostitution networks cluster in the $1,000-$10,000 range. These networks often use structured pricing and customer service models and advertise standardized rates across major East Asian cities, which in turn produce identifiable patterns in the chain useful for detection.

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CSAM Cryptoeconomics

CSAM operations show a different structure. It was found that roughly half of transactions are under $100, and there is a shift towards subscription-based models that generate predictable revenue streams. In 2025, Chainalysis observed a growing use of Monero and instant exchangers to launder CSAM proceeds, in addition to an emerging overlap between CSAM networks and sadistic online extremism communities, where abusive material is monetized through cryptocurrency payments.

One major CSAM site identified in July 2025 alone used over 5,800 crypto addresses and generated over $530,000 since 2022. The report also found that trafficking-related services leverage U.S. infrastructure for scale and legitimacy, while operators often remain abroad to limit personal exposure.