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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →German authorities shut down cryptocurrency-swapping service eXch on 30 April 2025, seizing its Germany-based server infrastructure. They reported securing crypto worth about €34 million and more than eight terabytes of data. The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) estimated that crypto worth US$1.9 billion had passed through eXch over its lifetime, but that is an estimated transfer volume—not a finding that US$1.9 billion was laundered.
What happened to eXch?
On 30 April 2025, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor’s Office’s Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) and the BKA seized eXch’s Germany-based server infrastructure and shut down the platform. The BKA said the operation secured Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Dash worth approximately €34 million, along with more than eight terabytes of data. The Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) separately reported the shutdown and seizure figures.
The BKA described the operation as the third-largest seizure of crypto assets in the agency’s history. That ranking is the BKA’s characterization in its May 2025 release, not a broader ranking of cryptocurrency seizures. BKA release; FIOD release.
What the $1.9 billion figure means
The BKA estimated that crypto worth US$1.9 billion had been transferred through eXch since the service began operating in 2014. This is the estimated value of transfers over the service’s lifetime; it is not a proven amount of criminal proceeds or laundered money. The public release does not provide transaction-level documentation or a detailed explanation of how the estimate was calculated.
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The distinction matters when comparing the headline figures: the US$1.9 billion describes estimated activity over years, while approximately €34 million is the value of crypto authorities said they secured in the shutdown operation. They measure different things and should not be treated as equivalent totals.
What authorities said eXch did
The BKA described eXch as a service that let users exchange one cryptocurrency for another. It said the service had operated since 2014 and was accessible on both the clearnet and dark web. According to the agency, eXch advertised on criminal underground-economy platforms that it did not implement anti-money-laundering measures; users did not have to identify themselves, and the service did not store user data. These are the BKA’s descriptions of the service, rather than independently established findings in the cited releases.
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What is alleged about Bybit and the operators?
The BKA said investigators suspected that eXch received bitcoin of criminal origin. It also said that some of the US$1.5 billion stolen in the 21 February 2025 Bybit hack may have been swapped through eXch. The agency framed that link as a possibility, not as a proven tracing of all or a specified portion of the stolen funds.
The operators are suspected of commercial money laundering and operating a criminal online trading platform, according to the BKA. These are allegations, not reported findings of guilt or convictions. The cited public releases do not report a conviction or provide a later case outcome; they establish what authorities said about the operation in 2025, not the status of any subsequent proceedings.
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- Smart backup: Use your second Tangem Wallet as your Backup keys with end‑to‑end encryption; no more papers, pictures. If one card is lost, the remaining can still restore full access, with an optional seed phrase available for advanced users.
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How Dutch authorities contributed
The FIOD said its information sharing contributed to the German seizure and shutdown and that it worked closely with the BKA. It reported that Europol and cybersecurity company zeroShadow supported the FIOD operation. The release does not specify further roles for those organizations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Key figures in the eXch operation
| Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|
| US$1.9 billion | BKA estimate of crypto transfer value through eXch since its inception—not a proven laundering total. |
| US$1.5 billion | Value the BKA cited for crypto stolen in the 21 February 2025 Bybit hack; it said some may have been swapped through eXch. |
| Approximately €34 million | Value of Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Dash authorities reported securing in the operation. |
| More than eight terabytes | Volume of data authorities reported seizing. |
The BKA published its account in May 2025, and the FIOD separately corroborated the approximate crypto value and data volume. BKA release; FIOD release.
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