Digital asset investigation agency FlashRescue co-founder: Approximately 22 million USD in illicit funds will flow into HitBTC in 2026

According to Darcy, co-founder of FlashRescue, approximately $22 million in illicit funds flowed into the cryptocurrency exchange HitBTC in 2026. He pointed out that during two instances of cooperating with police investigations, HitBTC refused to assist in the verification process, and multiple on-chain investigators reported that this is a consistent practice of the platform.

He mentioned that in the Bybit theft case, as much as $3.68 million from a money laundering network linked to the DPRK (North Korea) flowed into HitBTC, but the platform also did not cooperate with relevant authorities for further investigation.