Germany Seizes eXch Crypto Site in $1.9 Billion Probe

German authorities dismantled the eXch crypto exchange on April 30, 2025, in a coordinated international operation targeting money laundering and illegal trading activities. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), in collaboration with the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT) and Dutch financial intelligence agency FIOD, seized the platform’s infrastructure, €34 million in cryptocurrency, and 8 terabytes of data.

Active since 2014, eXch.cx operated on both the clearnet and darknet, facilitating anonymous crypto swaps without user identification or data retention—conditions that investigators say enabled the laundering of roughly $1.9 billion. Authorities believe the platform was used to process proceeds from criminal sources, including funds tied to the $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February 2025.

eXch operators had announced plans to shut down on May 1, citing pressure from a “transatlantic operation.” The takedown marks Germany’s third-largest crypto asset seizure and is expected to support broader cybercrime investigations across Europe.