chainalysis

According to Cointelegraph, Kaitlin Martin, a senior intelligence analyst at Chainalysis, stated that shipping companies that may use cryptocurrency payments for transit fees to Iran could face serious sanction risks.Under the current sanctions framework, any payments made to the Iranian regime, including those related to key waterways, could be interpreted as "material support," putting companies at risk of violating U.S. and international restrictions.There have been previous reports that Iran may seek to collect transit fees in the form of cryptocurrency. Although not officially confirmed, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he would not accept any attempts by Tehran to impose tolls on shipping passing through this important waterway.

Cybersecurity company CUJO AI has officially launched a network-layer cryptocurrency investment fraud detection capability designed for network service providers (NSP), which can identify fraudulent activities that bypass application layer and platform layer protections. CUJO AI stated that modern cryptocurrency investment scams often rely on rotating domain names, wallet interactions, and social engineering tactics, making it difficult for a single platform to grasp the full picture; the network layer is a key location where such threats are concentrated.According to Chainalysis data, global losses from cryptocurrency-related scams and fraud are estimated to reach $17 billion by 2025, with the majority of victims being ordinary users rather than institutional traders.

According to Decrypt, the U.S. Secret Service will collaborate with the UK's National Crime Agency, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Ontario Securities Commission, among other agencies, to launch an international joint operation called "Operation Atlantic," aimed at combating cryptocurrency scams such as "authorized phishing" or "pig butchering." These scams typically lure victims into granting access to their funds through online fake romantic relationships.U.S. Secret Service officials stated that the operation will identify and dismantle these scams in near real-time, preventing criminals from profiting further. The UK side noted that such scams are becoming increasingly complex, and the operation aims to protect the public through early warnings and asset protection. This collaboration builds on the "Operation Atlas" initiated by Canadian authorities in 2024. According to a Chainalysis report, cryptocurrency crime alone caused losses exceeding $17 billion last year.

According to CoinDesk, Chainalysis' latest report shows that in 2025, cryptocurrency-related illegal activities linked to sanctions surged, with sanctioned entities receiving at least $104 billion in cryptocurrency, a 700% increase from 2024, driving the total illegal on-chain transaction volume for the year to $154 billion.Countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea, which are under U.S. and European sanctions, are integrating cryptocurrency into their national financial strategies to circumvent the traditional banking system. The report specifically notes that the ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 is a primary channel for sanctioned Russian enterprises, processing $93.3 billion in transactions in less than a year, serving as a settlement avenue for cross-border trade by sanctioned Russian companies.This token is associated with the exchanges Grinex and Meer, having processed billions of dollars in transactions before being sanctioned by the U.S. and Europe. A7A5 also offers "instant exchange" services, allowing tokens to be converted into mainstream U.S. dollar stablecoins with minimal KYC checks, having processed over $2.2 billion in transactions to date, effectively enabling sanctioned entities to enter the broader crypto economy.Addresses linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran account for over 50% of the value received by Iranian services, transferring over $3 billion in funds. North Korea remains the largest actor in cyber theft, stealing over $2 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025. Stablecoins currently account for about 84% of illegal transaction volume.

According to Coindesk, blockchain analysis company Chainalysis stated that Iran's cryptocurrency ecosystem will reach $7.78 billion by 2025, with a growth rate surpassing the previous year.Iran legalized cryptocurrency mining in 2019, allowing licensed operators to use subsidized electricity and sell the mined bitcoins to the central bank. Recent estimates indicate that Iran accounts for between 2% and 5% of the global Bitcoin mining hash rate. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as the country's main military force, has since deepened its influence in the cryptocurrency sector.Chainalysis estimates that by the fourth quarter of 2025, addresses associated with the IRGC will account for over 50% of Iran's total cryptocurrency inflows, with amounts received last year exceeding $3 billion. Another analysis by Elliptic found that the Central Bank of Iran had accumulated at least $507 million in USDT by 2025, which could help stabilize the rial exchange rate and facilitate trade. However, this effort has largely failed, with data showing that the rial has depreciated by over 96% against the dollar. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians have begun to turn to Bitcoin. During recent protests and internet outages, the amount of Bitcoin withdrawn from local exchanges to personal wallets surged dramatically.

According to a report by TheDefiant, blockchain forensics company Chainalysis has released a report stating that Chinese networks account for about 20% of the total $82 billion in cryptocurrency laundering activities in 2025, primarily operating on Telegram and related "guarantee" platforms. In 2025 alone, Chinese laundering networks processed over $16 billion in funds, equivalent to about $44 million per day, involving approximately 1,800 active wallets.

According to CoinDesk, cryptocurrency analysis firm Chainalysis stated in its latest report that losses from cryptocurrency scams and fraud could reach as high as $17 billion in 2025.Among these, impersonation scams have seen a year-on-year increase of 1400%, while AI-assisted scams are 4.5 times more profitable than traditional scams.

Chainalysis released a research report indicating that by 2025, the activities of nations in the cryptocurrency sector tracked by them will have significantly increased. Illegal organizations are now operating large-scale on-chain infrastructures that assist transnational crime networks in acquiring goods and services, as well as laundering their illegally obtained cryptocurrencies.Data shows that in 2025, illegal cryptocurrency transactions will reach at least $154 billion. This represents a 162% increase from the previous year, primarily due to a 694% surge in amounts received by sanctioned entities. However, even if the amounts received by sanctioned entities remain the same as the previous year, 2025 will still be a record year for cryptocurrency crime, as activities in most categories of illegal crime have increased. Additionally, stablecoins dominate the illegal trading sector, currently accounting for 84% of all illegal transaction volume.

Chainalysis pointed out in the "2025 Cryptocurrency Adoption Index Report" that from July 2024 to June 2025, Bitcoin will attract over $1.2 trillion in fiat funds, firmly establishing itself as the preferred asset for fiat entry into the cryptocurrency market.Ethereum attracted approximately $724 billion during the same period, while Layer 1 public chain tokens and stablecoins ranked third and fourth with $564 billion and $497 billion, respectively.

According to DLnews, Chainalysis publicly responded to Binance's criminal analysis report using its data. In November, Binance claimed that, based on Chainalysis data, only 0.018% to 0.023% of the trading volume on the leading exchange was directly related to illegal wallets, and that Binance performed better than the market. However, Chainalysis clarified that the analysis did not cover all categories of illegal activities (such as ransomware and hacking theft) and only accounted for "direct contact," excluding funds transferred through personal wallets.Such "transfer wallet" strategies are widely used by cryptocurrency criminals to cover their tracks.

According to Chainalysis, the U.S. Treasury Department's OFAC has designated several individuals and entities related to North Korea, involved in money laundering networks and IT outsourcing funds; the list includes Korea Mangyongdae Computer Technology Corporation and 54 cryptocurrency addresses associated with Cheil Credit Bank (which was sanctioned in September 2017). This designation is consistent with last month's conclusions from the U.S. Treasury Department's MSMT report on North Korean cyber activities, which also issued prevention recommendations and key points.

ChainCatcher news, according to the "2025 Crypto Geography Report" published by Chainalysis, the overall crypto trading volume in Europe rebounded after a mid-2024 dip, reaching a peak of $234 billion in December of the same year, continuing into the first half of 2025, demonstrating a mature market pattern with active institutions and widespread retail adoption.The report shows that Russia surged to the top of Europe with a trading volume of $376.3 billion, followed by the UK ($273.2 billion) and Germany ($219.4 billion); Germany saw a 54% annual increase, benefiting from the implementation of MiCA regulations and the entry of financial institutions. Poland and Ukraine experienced growth rates of 51% and 52%, respectively, highlighting the vibrancy of private remittances and grassroots adoption. The implementation of MiCA over the past ten months has facilitated Europe's transition from fragmented regulation to a unified framework.The euro stablecoin EURC issued by Circle grew by 2727% during this period, replacing USDT as the mainstream regulated stablecoin. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has currently registered 15 electronic money token issuers, managing a total of 25 single-currency stablecoins.The report points out an unusual characteristic in the European market: "the larger the volume, the faster the growth," indicating that the crypto ecosystem is in an acceleration phase of the S-curve, with network effects driving the continuous expansion of mature markets. The UK market has shifted towards DeFi platforms, with retail funds flowing into DEXs, while institutions still prefer centralized exchanges.Overall, the European crypto ecosystem is entering a new phase of simultaneous regulation and innovation: MiCA is fostering the localization of stablecoins, DeFi usage is surging, and institutional participation is deepening, which continues to elevate Europe's position in the global crypto landscape.

ChainCatcher news, the crypto fund C1 Fund has announced that it has purchased equity in the blockchain data and compliance security platform Chainalysis, but has not yet disclosed specific details such as the purchase amount and equity ratio.It is reported that C1 Fund had previously announced a public offering of $60 million, intending to increase its investment in the digital asset technology sector, and has also purchased equity in Ripple.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, U.S. President Trump is leading a global push to establish strategic cryptocurrency reserves using assets seized from criminals.Research by Chainalysis Inc. shows that cryptocurrency assets associated with illegal activities, which are "on-chain" and within the reach of law enforcement, have exceeded $75 billion. Its CEO, Jonathan Levin, stated that this enhances the potential for asset seizure and changes the perspective of various countries. Chainalysis found that by 2025, the on-chain balance of illegal entities will be nearly $15 billion, with downstream wallets (holding at least 10% of funds from crime) possessing over $60 billion.Cryptocurrency controlled by dark web market managers and suppliers exceeds $40 billion, with $15 billion directly held by illegal actors, of which Bitcoin accounts for about 75%. Along with Ethereum and stablecoins, this represents a 359% increase compared to five years ago. Downstream wallets are similar, with dark web-related wallets experiencing a compound annual growth rate of over 200%.However, whether authorities can access this $75 billion remains in question. Despite significant increases in law enforcement's efforts to combat cryptocurrency crime in recent years, the skills, international cooperation, and funding required to identify, track, and seize criminals' digital assets continue to pose challenges.

ChainCatcher news, Binance disclosed that in June 2024, following a multi-stakeholder investigation supported by Binance, Chainalysis, and other industry partners, law enforcement in the Asia-Pacific region froze nearly $50 million in illegal funds.In the case, the Chainalysis investigation team utilized blockchain analysis technology to trace the flow of funds related to another active scam network in Southeast Asia. They tracked transactions of dozens of victims from November 2022 to July 2023, identifying a series of integrated wallets controlled by the scammers. The criminals concentrated the funds into a main wallet, which were then distributed to five final wallets via intermediary addresses, collectively holding nearly $47 million USDT. To prolong the scam, the scammers would also return a small amount of funds. After receiving intelligence, the Asia-Pacific law enforcement instructed the stablecoin issuer to freeze the funds in June, and investigators acted swiftly to prevent the conversion of the illegal proceeds.

ChainCatcher news, according to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee plans to hold a full hearing next Wednesday (July 9) at 22:00 Beijing time, focusing on market structure issues. Confirmed participants include: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith, Chainalysis CEO Jonathan Levin, and Paradigm General Partner Dan Robinson.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Washington Post, the latest data from blockchain analysis company Chainalysis shows that the total value of the top 20 cryptocurrency assets held by the U.S. government is approximately $20.9 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for $20.4 billion and other digital assets around $493 million. These assets primarily come from law enforcement's seizure of criminal proceeds.In March of this year, Trump signed an executive order to establish two national cryptocurrency reserves: the "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" and the "U.S. Digital Asset Reserve." The U.S. Treasury has signed a 5-year custodial and trading services contract with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase to manage these digital assets.