In early July 2025, Abacus Market, the leading Bitcoin-enabled darknet marketplace in the Western hemisphere, abruptly went offline, raising suspicions of an exit scam. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs suggests that the platform’s operators may have absconded with users’ cryptocurrency funds, marking a significant disruption in the darknet ecosystem following the recent law enforcement seizure of Archetyp Market in June 2025.
Indicators of an Exit Scam
The first signs of trouble emerged in late June 2025 when users began reporting difficulties withdrawing funds from Abacus Market. The platform’s administrator, known by the pseudonym ‘Vito,’ attributed these issues to an influx of new users migrating from the recently shuttered Archetyp Market and to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Despite these explanations, the darknet community remained skeptical. This skepticism was reflected in a dramatic 94% decline in deposit volumes:
– From June 1 to June 27, 2025, average daily deposits were approximately $230,000 across 1,400 transactions.
– Between June 28 and July 10, 2025, this figure plummeted to just $13,000 across 100 deposits.
This sharp decrease in user confidence preceded the marketplace’s complete disappearance from all internet-facing infrastructure, including its clearnet mirror.
Abacus Market’s Operations and Market Share
Established in 2021, Abacus Market operated as a central deposit wallet, multisignature darknet marketplace supporting both Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) cryptocurrencies. Unlike competitors such as Archetyp, DrugHub, ASAP Market, and Incognito Market, Abacus’s technical architecture allowed for more sophisticated payment processing and escrow services. The platform’s success was reflected in its growing market dominance:
– In 2022, Abacus held a 10% market share among Western darknet markets.
– By 2024, this figure had surged to over 70%, following the closure of major competitors like ASAP Market in July 2023 and the seizure of Incognito Market in March 2024.
TRM Labs’ analysis indicates that Abacus generated nearly $100 million in Bitcoin-enabled sales alone. Considering that Monero typically accounts for two-thirds to three-quarters of total darknet marketplace volume due to its privacy features, Abacus’s actual sales volume likely reached between $300 million and $400 million.
Implications for the Darknet Ecosystem
The collapse of Abacus Market underscores the ongoing volatility in the Western darknet ecosystem, where sustained law enforcement pressure has created an environment of constant uncertainty. Notably, nearly half of the marketplaces launched in 2024 accepted only Monero, representing a sharp increase from just over one-third in 2023. This trend signals a growing preference for enhanced privacy and anti-surveillance capabilities among darknet users.
With Abacus’s departure, remaining platforms such as DrugHub, TorZon Market, and MGM Grand face increased pressure to absorb displaced users while navigating the same risks that led to their predecessor’s downfall. The darknet community remains on high alert, as the potential for further exit scams or law enforcement actions continues to loom over the landscape.
