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.
Spotlight On: The Role of AML in Ending Human Trafficking
Human trafficking and modern slavery remain two of the most challenging humanitarian issues for international legislators and law enforcement agencies to resolve—due in large part to the the level of difficulty to uncover hidden channels and illegal measures that...
Regtech Terms 101: Definitions Made Simple
If you're in the process of implementing or revising your money laundering and financial crime protocols, you’ve no doubt come across the many terms and acronyms associated with financial regulations. As fintech and related financial crime mandates continue to evolve,...
What Triggers an AML Investigation?
Money laundering and financial fraud are two of the biggest risks facing businesses and institutions worldwide, with an estimated USD $800 million to $2 billion laundered annually. To combat this, global legislators such as FinCEN, FINTRAC, and various European...












