Monero (XMR) Records a 40% Price Surge Following a Massive $330M Money Laundering Transaction

Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused coin, witnessed a 40% price surge within just a few hours following a massive $330 million money laundering transaction.

Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused coin, experienced a 40% price surge within just a few hours following a massive $330 million money laundering transaction. This remarkable development unfolded in the cryptocurrency market today.

This price rally further reinforced Monero’s position as a top choice for those seeking anonymity in online financial transactions.

What’s Behind Monero’s (XMR) 40% Surge?

According to a post by ZachXBT on X today, a theft involving 3,520 Bitcoin (BTC), equivalent to $330.7 million, occurred. The stolen funds were quickly converted into XMR through several instant exchanges.

“Nine hours ago a suspicious transfer was made from a potential victim for 3520 BTC ($330.7M). Theft address: bc1qcrypchnrdx87jnal5e5m849fw460t4gk7vz55g. Shortly after, the funds began to be laundered via 6+ instant exchanges and were swapped for XMR, causing the XMR price to spike 50%,” ZachXBT reported.

However, ZachXBT did not disclose any clues about the entity behind the suspicious wallet address. Smokey, Polygon’s Community Lead, raised questions about whether this could be a new hack involving North Korea. But ZachXBT believed that it was unlikely.

BeInCrypto's analysis of Data

Today, the price of XMR surged from $229 to $317, realizing a 40% gain before correcting to the current level of $270. On certain exchanges like Bitfinex, XMR peaked at $328, attaining nearly a 50% increment in April, as ZachXBT had mentioned.

Furthermore, CoinMarketCap data revealed that XMR’s trading volume today exceeded $250 million. This marked a 360% increase compared to the previous day and set a new daily volume record for the year.

Monero, renowned for its strong privacy features that conceal the sender, recipient, and transaction amount, is an ideal instrument for money laundering activities.

The 2025 Crypto Crime Report by Chainalysis noted that as law enforcement agencies become more proficient in tracking Bitcoin transactions, operators and darknet market providers have increasingly turned to Monero as their cryptocurrency of choice.

Additionally, research from ScienceDirect highlighted that privacy coins are closely linked with Dark Web traffic. This connection has further propelled their popularity in illegitimate markets.

Privacy Coins: A Beacon Amid Market Volatility

Data from Artemis, a cryptocurrency analytics platform, also highlighted a notable trend. Since early 2025, privacy-focused coins like Monero are the only sector showcasing positive growth, having realized over a 17% increase.

In addition, a recent study by Swan highlighted that Monero boasts the record for the longest downward resistance among the top 300 altcoins. This study underscored XMR’s resilience in maintaining value despite the ever-changing market conditions.

CR1337, a Core Team member at Navio, a privacy finance project, noted that XMR’s recent price rally would likely garner more investor interest in privacy coins.

“Whatever the reason for XMR’s recent price rise, it doesn’t really matter. It’s guaranteed to make more people aware of the privacy coin #1,” CR1337 remarked.

The role of institutions in crypto market is becoming increasingly crucial.