Britain’s National Crime Agency says criminal finance is becoming more networked, outsourced, and technically flexible. Its 2026 assessment says organised groups increasingly hire specialist laundering services instead of moving proceeds themselves.
Key here are modern routes, which will likely have corporate institutions, Offshore brokers, mixers, cross-chain, stable coins, and street cash! There’s no safe path to hide all the funds. But the speed with which the transition happened could leave funds spread across corporations and jurisdictions before an investigation could come close to making sense of the trail.
The NCA assesses that British and American disruption has displaced some activity toward Russia-aligned platforms. Authorities have sanctioned Russia-linked exchanges, including Garantex and Grinex. Tether also froze millions of dollars in USDT held in wallets linked to Garantex.
Such measures can close one route without removing demand for laundering services. Crypto laundering operators may then test another exchange, jurisdiction, or informal broker. The NCA links Russian-speaking networks with cash collection, crypto conversion, sanctioned exchanges, and overseas coordinators.
Cross-border settlement can also happen without the same funds physically crossing borders. The NCA says Chinese-speaking networks collect cash in Britain and arrange equivalent payments abroad. Western Balkan groups reportedly use these networks to move value toward Europe and South America.
Stablecoins give criminal networks a liquid asset with less price movement than bitcoin or ether. They also support rapid transfers across borders and outside normal banking hours. Those features serve lawful payments, but the Financial Action Task Force says criminals exploit them too.
FATF reporting shows common routes through unlicensed exchanges, peer-to-peer markets, and over-the-counter brokers. Criminals also move stablecoins across Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and other blockchains. Brokers may then exchange the tokens for local currency, completing the cash-out stage.
Centralised stablecoins create another enforcement point since issuers can freeze identified wallets. However, intervention can trigger another shift. FATF says Iranian actors may answer earlier USDT freezes by seeking tokens without freeze controls.
Mixers seek to conceal the link between sending and receiving addresses. Chain hopping moves value through bridges, exchanges, or swaps onto another blockchain. Decentralised exchanges and coin-swap services can add further steps before cash-out.
FATF documented one 2025 case involving mixers, bridges, and more than 125,000 Ethereum wallets. The organisation linked that route to laundering after a major crypto theft. Its report says rapid movements across multiple chains complicate detection and disruption.
Notably, the non-crypto aspects of crypto laundering can be handled with corporate structures. Payment may be made to, or the company may have recorded ownership of, property without having effective control over it. Criminals continue to exploit UK entities, and sanctioned individuals have been known to adopt “layered ownership” around property, the NCA says.
Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement on November 18, 2025. Directors and people with significant control entered a 12-month transition period. Authorised corporate service providers must register and belong to an anti-money-laundering supervisory body.
Crypto laundering investigations are increasingly merging together tracing with financial institutions and corporate documents. The National Economic Crime Centre coordinates a group of law enforcement agencies, regulators, and private entities under the framework known as JMLIT+. By Dec 2024 this alliance discovered over 10,700 unrecognised accounts, closed over 8,100, and over $248 million had been restrained.
