Germany Seizes $38M in Crypto From Shuttered Platform eXch

German authorities have seized €34 million ($38.2 million) in cryptocurrency assets from eXch, a now-defunct crypto swapping platform accused of facilitating anonymous, illicit transactions. By Lucas Nuzzi

output: German authorities have seized €34 million ($38.2 million) in cryptocurrency assets from eXch, a now-defunct crypto swapping platform.

The operation was announced Friday by the Frankfurt Prosecutor General’s Office.

The seizure, which took place on April 30, included Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Dash, and the confiscation of over 8 terabytes of data and server infrastructure located in Germany.

Platform Linked to Underground Economy

Founded in 2014, eXch enabled anonymous crypto swaps by operating without standard anti-money laundering (AML) or know-your-customer (KYC) protocols. According to prosecutors, the platform openly advertised its lack of compliance on websites frequented by participants in the “criminal underground economy.”

Authorities estimate that eXch processed nearly $1.9 billion in crypto transactions over its lifetime—much of it suspected to be linked to criminal activity.

Links to Major Crypto Thefts

The prosecutor’s statement also noted that a portion of the $1.4 billion stolen from Bybit (뱌이빗) (비트ബ이), the popular crypto exchange, may have been laundered through eXch, though the investigation is ongoing.

This operation marks one of Germany’s largest crypto-related seizures to date, highlighting the increasing efforts by law enforcement to target unregulated platforms implicated in financial crimes.