T3 Financial Crime Unit Launches T3+ Global Collaborator Program with Binance

T3+ Program Brings Industry Giants Together to Combat Crypto Crime

The T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), a joint initiative by TRON, Tether, and TRM Labs, has launched a new program called T3+ to expand cooperation in fighting illicit activity on the blockchain. Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has joined as the program’s first member.

Since its creation in September 2024, T3 FCU has frozen more than $250 million in illicit assets worldwide. The team says the T3+ program will strengthen real-time collaboration between public and private actors, enabling faster detection and freezing of suspicious transactions.

T3’s First Year: $250 Million Frozen

The T3 FCU was set up less than a year ago to help law enforcement identify and disrupt criminal activity involving digital assets. Working across five continents, the unit has analyzed millions of blockchain transactions totaling over $3 billion in volume.

Crimes investigated have included:

• Money laundering
• Investment fraud
• Extortion
• Terrorism financing

According to TRM Labs, which provides blockchain intelligence for T3 FCU, these investigations have already led to substantial asset freezes. In January 2025, the figure stood at $130 million; it has now nearly doubled.

First T3+ Operation with Binance

Binance’s participation in T3+ has already produced results. In a coordinated action, T3 FCU and Binance froze almost $6 million linked to a “pig butchering” scam—a type of investment fraud where victims are lured into fake crypto schemes.

Under the program, Binance will share intelligence with T3 FCU to detect and block suspicious transactions in real time. Nils Andersen-Röed, Binance’s global head of financial intelligence, said:

“Collaboration is essential to ensuring blockchain’s long-term success and credibility, and we’re proud to support initiatives like T3 FCU that help ensure the safety and integrity of blockchain networks and crypto assets.” 

Why Real-Time Coordination Matters

Blockchain transactions can move stolen funds within minutes, leaving little time for intervention. According to industry estimates:

• Criminals can launder stolen assets in under three minutes in some cases.
• Compliance teams have less than 15 minutes to stop suspicious fund flows.
• Recovery rates for stolen crypto have dropped to 4.2%.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino noted that freezing over $250 million in illicit assets “shows what’s possible when the industry comes together with a shared goal.” As a stablecoin issuer, Tether can freeze tokens at the contract level—an important capability when blocking stolen funds.

Industry Context and Trends

T3+ comes at a time when crypto-related crime is becoming more sophisticated. In the first half of 2025 alone, hackers stole over $3 billion in various attacks, according to Global Ledger data.

Despite improvements in monitoring, roughly 15% of illicit crypto still flows through centralized exchanges. T3 FCU’s model of combining exchange compliance teams with blockchain analytics and stablecoin issuer powers is designed to close that gap.

TRM Labs data shows illicit crypto volumes fell 24% in 2024 to $45 billion. TRON saw the largest drop—down $6 billion year-over-year—reflecting, in part, the increased monitoring from initiatives like T3 FCU.

Public–Private Partnership Model

T3 FCU’s approach involves direct cooperation with law enforcement in multiple jurisdictions. By pairing blockchain analysis with exchange compliance tools, the unit can trace assets and act quickly before they move beyond recovery.

TRON founder Justin Sun said the expanded program “improves the efficiency of addressing illicit activity” and helps make crypto “safe and trusted for users worldwide.”

Chris Janczewski, head of global investigations at TRM Labs, said surpassing $250 million in frozen assets “reaffirms T3 FCU’s expanding impact” and validates the model for public–private collaboration.

Capabilities of T3+

With T3+, the Financial Crime Unit aims to:

• Increase real-time data sharing between exchanges, blockchain analytics firms, and stablecoin issuers.
• Enhance transaction monitoring and pattern recognition to spot illicit fund flows earlier.
• Improve communication speed between private sector actors and law enforcement.
• Coordinate cross-border interventions to freeze assets.

Binance’s inclusion signals growing industry acceptance of coordinated enforcement measures, even among large exchanges.

Debate Over Centralization

The ability for stablecoin issuers like Tether to freeze funds is not without controversy. In a recent case, Tether froze $86,000 in stolen USDT, prompting renewed debate over centralization in crypto. Supporters argue such powers are essential to prevent losses from fraud and theft; critics warn about potential overreach.

While the debate continues, operational results from T3 FCU indicate that centralized intervention remains one of the most effective tools against fast-moving crypto crime.

FAQs

1. What is the T3+ program?
   T3+ is a global collaborator initiative launched by the T3 Financial Crime Unit to improve real-time cooperation between crypto exchanges, stablecoin issuers, blockchain analytics firms, and law enforcement in fighting illicit blockchain activity.

2. How much has T3 FCU frozen so far?
   Since launching in September 2024, T3 FCU has frozen over $250 million in illicit assets worldwide, including $6 million in a joint operation with Binance.

3. Why did Binance join T3+?
   Binance joined to share intelligence and work directly with T3 FCU in detecting and blocking suspicious transactions, aiming to reduce financial crimes such as fraud, extortion, and terrorism financing.

Conclusion

The launch of T3+ marks a significant expansion in the scope of the T3 Financial Crime Unit’s work. By integrating Binance and potentially other major platforms, the program strengthens real-time response capabilities against illicit finance.

In less than a year, T3 FCU’s coordinated approach has already frozen a quarter of a billion dollars in criminal assets. With exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and blockchain intelligence firms working in tandem, the initiative now has the infrastructure to detect and block suspicious transactions faster and at greater scale.

Resources:

1. TRM Labs Announcement: https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/t3-financial-crime-unit-launches-t3-global-collaborator-program-over-250m-in-criminal-assets-frozen-as-binance-becomes-first-member?utm_campaign=Brand-Global_www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/t3-financial-crime-unit-launches-t3-global-collaborator-program-over-250m-in-criminal-assets-frozen-as-binance-becomes-first-member_Blog&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaignname=Brand-Global&utm_activity=www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/t3-financial-crime-unit-launches-t3-global-collaborator-program-over-250m-in-criminal-assets-frozen-as-binance-becomes-first-member&utm_activitytype=Blog

2. About Pig Butchering Scam: https://dfpi.ca.gov/news/insights/pig-butchering-how-to-spot-and-report-the-scam/

3. Crypto Hacks Hit $3.1 Billion by Mid-2025 Report: https://dig.watch/updates/crypto-hacks-hit-3-1-billion-by-mid-2025