Tether Partners with United Nations to Combat Cybercrime and Support Trafficking Victims in Africa
The post Tether Partners with United Nations to Combat Cybercrime and Support Trafficking Victims in Africa appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
The collaboration aims to strengthen cybersecurity, fund victim protection programs, and develop blockchain-based solutions across Africa and Papua New Guinea. Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, announced a major partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on January 9, 2026. The partnership addresses urgent needs in Africa, which has become the third-fastest-growing cryptocurrency region globally. According to Chainalysis data, Sub-Saharan Africa received over $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025, marking a 52% increase from the previous year. Rising Cybercrime Creates Urgent Need The collaboration comes after a major law enforcement operation exposed the scale of crypto-related crime on the continent. INTERPOL’s Operation Catalyst, conducted between July and September 2025, uncovered $260 million in illicit cryptocurrency and fiat currency across six African countries. The operation led to 83 arrests, including 21 people charged with terrorism-related crimes, 28 with financial fraud and money laundering, 16 with cyber-enabled scams, and 18 with illegal use of virtual assets. Investigators identified 160 additional persons of interest and seized $600,000, with investigations continuing to recover more funds. Source: @tether One particularly severe case involved a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme that disguised itself as a legitimate trading platform. The fraudulent operation affected over 100,000 victims across at least 17 countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya, stealing an estimated $562 million. Several high-value crypto wallets linked to this scheme showed potential connections to terrorism financing activities. Three Programs Target Education and Protection Through this partnership, Tether will support the UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, which focuses on strengthening crime prevention, enhancing justice, and addressing organized crime across the continent. The collaboration includes three distinct initiatives. The Senegal Project centers on cybersecurity education for young people through a multi-phase program. It includes learning opportunities, bootcamps, and sessions provided by…
Filed under: News - @ January 10, 2026 8:22 pm