Crypto suspicious transaction reports jump 312-fold, FIU review staff at 43

Suspicious transaction reports tied to virtual assets rose about 312-fold over four years, while South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit has only 43 staff reviewing and analyzing those cases, Dailian reported.

According to the Financial Intelligence Unit under South Korea’s Financial Services Commission, suspicious transaction reports related to virtual assets increased to 62,055 in 2025 from 199 in 2021, based on a strategy and policy document on preventing money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing released on Sept. 16. Despite the surge, the FIU’s staffing and systems have not kept pace, the report said. The FIU currently has 80 employees in total, fewer than Australia’s 600, Germany’s 700 and France’s 220, with 43 assigned to suspicious transaction screening and analysis.