Darknet marketplace Joker’s Stash earned more than $1 billion in bitcoin and announced its closure

The darknet marketplace Joker’s Stash, specialising in the sale of bank card data, has announced its closure. The site generated more than $1 billion in bitcoin for its owner, according to cybersecurity specialists Gemini Advisory.

Joker’s Stash began operating in 2014 and was regarded as one of the largest darknet marketplaces. As a staunch advocate of bitcoin, the marketplace’s owner repeatedly stated that he stored proceeds in cryptocurrency.

Activity on the platform has fallen sharply in the last six months. On 16 December 2020, a notice appeared on the marketplace site about the domain being seized by the FBI and Interpol. However, the site soon resumed operations.

In late October, the marketplace’s data activity was disrupted again. Access to the platform was restored after a week.

On 15 January, the owner announced on the site that in a month he would close the marketplace and “go into a well-earned retirement.” Analysts do not rule out that the decision was driven by the recent spike in bitcoin’s price.

Gemini believes that Joker’s Stash’s exit from the business will not affect the shadow economy of bank card data, as with Silk Road.

Back in late December, the darknet marketplace White House Market ceased support for the first cryptocurrency and began accepting payments only in Monero (XMR).

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