31 October 2025 – The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a joint initiative from Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, has frozen more than USD 300 million in criminal assets globally, marking another major milestone in the fight against cryptocurrency-related financial crime.
Since its launch in September 2024, T3 FCU has emerged as a model for public-private cooperation in blockchain security, working directly with law enforcement agencies worldwide to detect, trace, and disrupt criminal networks using cryptocurrencies. The unit’s investigations have supported dozens of operations across multiple jurisdictions, targeting crimes such as money laundering, investment fraud, terrorism financing, and organized crime.
T3 FCU’s impact was further underscored this month when it was formally recognized by the Brazilian Federal Police for its assistance in Operation Lusocoin, a major investigation into large-scale money laundering and currency evasion through crypto assets. The operation resulted in the freezing of over R$3 billion in assets, including 4.3 million USDT tied to the criminal group, underscoring the power of global collaboration between exchanges, analytics firms, and law enforcement.
The success of the T3 FCU reflects its coordinated approach to strengthening trust and transparency across the blockchain ecosystem. In just one year, the T3 FCU has supported law enforcement agencies across 23 jurisdictions spanning every continent except Africa. The largest volumes of assistance were recorded in the United States ($83M, 27% of volume, 37 cases), Spain, Germany, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, Brazil (over $13M, 4% 27% of volume, 7 cases), Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The most common typologies investigated included illicit goods and services (39%), fraud and scams, hacks and exploits, cases linked to the DPRK ($19M for the Bybit hack alone), crimes involving banned or controlled substances, terrorist financing and violent crimes. The unit has also observed a rise in assistance requests involving “wrench attacks,” referring to incidents of physical coercion and violent crime connected to crypto assets. This trend highlights the growing need for international coordination and timely intervention to address emerging risks. TRON, Tether and TRM Labs have helped strengthen the integrity of the broader crypto ecosystem. These efforts continue to reinforce the growing effectiveness of cross-sector partnerships in combating financial crime.
“Tether is deeply committed to maintaining the integrity of the financial ecosystem by collaborating with over 280 law enforcement agencies globally,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Reaching the USD 300 million milestone demonstrates the real-world impact of blockchain technology in combating financial crime. We’ve consistently backed that belief with action, working closely with global law enforcement agencies to monitor transactions and disrupt criminal activity, and we’ll continue working closely with partners worldwide to ensure stablecoins remain a force for transparency and security.”
“Blockchain technology has the power to protect as much as it empowers, serving as a foundation for greater transparency, security, and inclusion in the global financial system,” said Justin Sun, Founder of TRON. “The T3 Financial Crime Unit’s USD 300 million milestone is proof that progress happens when technology, institutions, and people work together. By building trust and cooperation across borders, we can make the digital economy safer and more accessible for everyone.”
“T3 FCU is proof that public-private collaboration is not just important — it’s essential. No single agency or company can combat financial crime alone,” said TRM’s Co-Founder and CEO Esteban Castaño, “Real progress happens when investigators, platforms, and analytics teams are working from the same map in real time. We are honored to support the T3 partners and law enforcement worldwide as we continue building a model for shared action that can be scaled globally.”
T3 FCU continues to collaborate closely with law enforcement agencies around the world, including Europol, with several active cases currently underway. These collaborations assist in investigations involving money laundering, investment fraud, extortion schemes, terrorism financing, and other financial crimes.
In August 2025, the T3+ Global Collaborator Program was established to further expand public–private cooperation in combatting illicit activities on the blockchain. Binance joined as the program’s first official member, representing an important step toward strengthening cross-border coordination, promoting information exchange, and enhancing collective capacity to detect and prevent financial crime globally.
On October 28–29, 2025, the members of T3 FCU and T3+ took part in the 9th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies in Vienna, co-organized by Europol and the Basel Institute on Governance. The session, titled “Public-Private Collaboration in Cryptoasset Seizure,” brought together senior representatives from TRON DAO, Tether, Binance, TRM Labs, and Europol to advance dialogue on strengthening collective action against illicit finance and enhancing international coordination. John Hurston, General Counsel (US) for TRON DAO, participated alongside Álex Pérez of Europol, Nils Andersen-Röed of Binance, Leonardo Real of Tether, and Dr. Bruno Requião da Cunha of TRM Labs. The discussion highlighted how the T3 FCU model can serve as an effective framework for fostering deeper collaboration between public and private stakeholders in support of global financial integrity and resilience.
About T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU)
T3 FCU is a first-of-its-kind public-private initiative launched by TRON, Tether, and TRM Labs in September 2024 to combat illicit activities on the blockchain. This groundbreaking public-private partnership works directly with law enforcement agencies worldwide to identify and disrupt criminal networks. Since its inception, and in just one year, T3 FCU has frozen over $300 million in criminal assets across five continents, established rapid response capabilities to address threats, and demonstrated how industry collaboration can effectively combat financial crime while supporting blockchain innovation.
