Operation Serengeti 2.0: Africa’s landmark cybercrime strike

Binance Blog released a new article focusing on the major achievements of "Operation Serengeti 2.0". The operation was jointly initiated by Interpol and ANSPO to destroy transnational cybercrime networks across Africa. The operation was carried out between June and August 2025, recovering a total of US$97.4 million and arresting 1,209 criminals. The initiative highlights the key role of cross-sectoral cooperation in combating cybercrime, with more than 30 companies, including Binance, participating in the Cyber ​​Crime Atlas initiative. The initiative promotes intelligence and resource sharing, highlighting the importance of private sector expertise in supporting law enforcement to combat transnational cyber threats. The operation targets high-impact cybercrimes such as ransomware, commercial email intrusion (BEC), and cryptocurrency scams, which are listed as key threats in the INTERPOL Africa Cyber ​​Threat Assessment Report. Authorities successfully arrested 1,209 cybercriminals linked to the attack on 88,000 victims, destroyed 11,432 malicious infrastructure, and specifically destroyed 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining centers in Angola. These centers use energy resources to validate blockchain transactions. In addition, Zambia cracked a cryptocurrency investment scam involving 65,000 victims and involved in the case of $300 million. Angolan authorities have also seized 45 illegal power plants with a total value of more than US$37 million and used their energy output to support vulnerable groups. These results highlight the effectiveness of global public-private cooperation in dismantling cybercrime networks that utilize transnational actions. The Cyber ​​Crime Atlas Initiative, hosted by the World Economic Forum, provides a blueprint for collaboration, bringing together more than 30 private sector leaders, including Binance, Microsoft and Feita, with law enforcement to jointly map and disintegrate the cybercrime ecosystem. By bringing together open source intelligence (OSINT) tools, expertise and threat intelligence, the program creates a united front to deal with cyber threats. Binance plays a multitude of roles in the initiative, including weekly participation in threat tracking meetings with investigators, analyzing emerging threats, and providing actionable intelligence and solutions to Interpol. Interpol Secretary-General Waldesi Urkisa stressed the growing scale and impact of these efforts and pointed out that global networks play an important role in achieving practical results and protecting victims. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) plays a key role in combating modern cybercrime, enabling participants to map crime infrastructure and identify cross-border links. This approach allows Angolan authorities to track illegal cryptocurrency mining activities and enables Zambian officials to destroy a huge investment scam. Open source intelligence bridges gaps between different jurisdictions, improves the accuracy of actions and promotes coordinated actions. Operation Serengeti 2.0 embodies the power of public-private collaboration, and Interpol is a reliable hub for sharing expertise between law enforcement and businesses. This work is shifting from temporary support to long-term cooperation with a view to having a sustained impact and aligning with frameworks such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) Cybercrime Atlas to address systemic vulnerabilities. For Binance, participating in programs such as the Cyber ​​Crime Atlas reflects its commitment to building a safer digital future. As the global economy becomes digital, Binance will continue to advocate for cooperation, innovation and education.