{"id":72906,"date":"2026-05-22T07:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/zachxbt-accuses-kucoin-of-shielding-13m-in-stolen-crypto-from-german-investigators\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T07:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:51:22","slug":"zachxbt-accuses-kucoin-of-shielding-13m-in-stolen-crypto-from-german-investigators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/zachxbt-accuses-kucoin-of-shielding-13m-in-stolen-crypto-from-german-investigators\/","title":{"rendered":"ZachXBT Accuses Kucoin of Shielding $13M in Stolen Crypto From German Investigators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">ZachXBT accused Kucoin of routing $13M+ in stolen funds in April while ignoring German law enforcement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">The exchange has faced a $300M DOJ settlement, a $500K CFTC penalty, and regulatory bans in Austria and Japan in recent months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">With no public response from Kucoin, the exchange\u2019s AML credibility is under mounting scrutiny.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight:400\">ZachXBT Says Kucoin Is \u2018Complicit\u2019<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">The pseudonymous <span>blockchain<\/span> sleuth posted a direct broadside against Kucoin on May 22. \u201cThe team is complicit and allows illicit activity to flow as long as it generates fees,\u201d ZachXBT <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zachxbt\/status\/2057677038396559502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight:400\">wrote on X<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight:400\">, noting that German law enforcement has been unable to get any response from the exchange. He further added that he has raised these concerns publicly before and is running out of options to compel action.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_816206\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-816206\" style=\"width:739px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-816206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image source: X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">The accusation builds on a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zachxbt\/status\/2044009775546151180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">trail of documented incidents<\/a>, as earlier in April, ZachXBT exposed what he described as large-scale laundering through Kucoin\u2019s infrastructure. A fake Ledger Live application listed on Apple\u2019s Mac App Store was used to steal approximately <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400\">$9.5 million<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400\"> from more than 50 victims (between April 7 and April 13). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">The funds (spanning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bitcoin<\/a>, ether, tron, <a href=\"https:\/\/markets.bitcoin.com\/crypto\/solana?utm_source=bitcoin_news\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">solana<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/xrp\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">XRP<\/a>) were rapidly funneled through over 150 Kucoin deposit addresses before flowing into a centralized mixing service called AudiA6. A separate theft of $3.5 million from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin<\/a> Depot was similarly routed through more than 25 Kucoin addresses just days earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">ZachXBT calculated that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400\">over $13 million<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400\"> in recently stolen funds had moved through Kucoin in a matter of weeks, a figure bound to raise serious questions about the exchange\u2019s anti-money laundering (AML) screening processes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight:400\">Kucoin\u2019s Compliance Troubles Deepen Across Multiple Jurisdictions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">Reference to German law enforcement points to an active investigation, possibly tied to victims of the April thefts, that Kucoin has declined to cooperate with. Without exchange cooperation, investigators have a limited ability to trace funds or freeze assets in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">Kucoin\u2019s regulatory standing has deteriorated across multiple jurisdictions in 2026, as earlier this year, Austria\u2019s financial regulator barred Kucoin from onboarding new European Union users. Subsequently, in March, Japan\u2019s Financial Services Agency (FSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsa.go.jp\/ordinary\/chuui\/mutouroku\/04.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">added the exchange<\/a> to its list of unregistered operators.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">That said, the exchange\u2019s most significant U.S. legal exposure came in 2024, when the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Kucoin with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Kucoin subsequently agreed to a near <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/crypto-giant-kucoin-pleads-guilty-forced-out-of-us-after-297m-doj-settlement\/\"><span style=\"font-weight:400\">$300 million settlement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight:400\"> to resolve those charges in January 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight:400\">Separately, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reached a $500,000 civil penalty settlement with Kucoin\u2019s parent company for operating as an unregistered futures commission merchant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/zachxbt-accuses-kucoin-of-shielding-13m-in-stolen-crypto-from-german-investigators\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways ZachXBT accused Kucoin of routing $13M+ in stolen funds in April while ignoring German law enforcement. The exchange has faced a $300M DOJ settlement, a $500K CFTC penalty, and regulatory bans in Austria and Japan in recent months. With no public response from Kucoin, the exchange\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3947362404,"featured_media":72907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72906"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3947362404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}