Tokyo Police Arrest Buyers In $530M Cryptocurrency Hack

Two Men Arrested in Japan for Purchasing NEM Cryptocurrency Stolen from Coincheck
What Happened?
On March 11, 2020. Tokyo police arrested two Japanese citizens for alleged possession of NEM cryptocurrency that was stolen from the crypto exchange operator Coincheck in a massive cyberattack in 2018. According to investigative sources, the suspects were aware that the cryptocurrency they acquired was stolen from the exchange.
Who Is Impacted?
Virtual asset service providers, trustees, and OTC traders that buy, sell, or custody cryptocurrencies.
Why This Matters?
Supervisory technology for regulators, financial intelligence units, and law enforcement has become incredibly sophisticated. Firms such as CipherTrace, Elliptic, and Chainalysis allow regulators to follow the money, monitor wallets and entities in real-time, and quickly build a trail of evidence for prosecution. Exchanges and other virtual asset service providers need to respond to requests for information about the cryptocurrency transactions they facilitate.
What’s Next?
Any business that facilitates or promotes cryptocurrency or virtual asset transactions should ensure their anti-money laundering software is capable of identifying high-risk transactions.
Transaction monitoring software such as Alessa or ComplyAdvantage can help firms integrate blockchain data with know your customer (KYC) data, freeze or escalate transactions, and compile suspicious activity reports and regulatory filings.
learn more
Is your AML compliance too expensive, time-consuming, or ineffective?
iComply enables financial services providers to reduce costs, risk, and complexity and improve staff capacity, effectiveness, and customer experience.
Request a demo today.
AML & Source of Funds Verification in Canadian Real Estate: Getting Ahead of FINTRAC Reform
Canadian real estate faces stricter AML enforcement in 2025. This article outlines how brokers, lawyers, and lenders can streamline source of funds checks and meet FINTRAC standards with iComply.
KYB for Nonprofits: How U.S. NGOs Can Meet AML Requirements Without Disrupting Donor Trust
Explore how U.S.-based nonprofits can verify partners, grantees, and affiliates without disrupting donor relationships. Learn how iComply supports transparent, audit-ready KYB for NGOs.
AML and Sanctions Screening for UK MSBs: Staying Ahead of FCA Enforcement in 2025
UK MSBs face increased FCA scrutiny in 2025. This article shows how to modernize AML and sanctions screening to reduce false positives, manage alerts, and stay compliant at scale.












