Chainalysis | Crypto

Chainalysis says the on-chain money laundering ecosystem processed $82 billion in funds in 2025, with Chinese-language networks now dominating. The use of centralized crypto exchanges for laundering illicit funds is on the decline, with Chinese-language money laundering networks now being used more than ever, according to Chainalysis. Chainalysis said in a report on Tuesday that informal service-based networks offered through Chinese-speaking channels have a wide variety of laundering-as-a-service businesses that use money mules, informal over-the-counter trade desks, and gambling platforms to mix and swap crypto. The networks emerged during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, and now “dominate known crypto money laundering activity.” Read more

Chinese-language networks now handle a disproportionate share of global crypto money laundering flows, according to a new Chainalysis report.

The feature allows non-technical teams to conduct onchain investigations and compliance analyses without relying on custom code. Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis has rolled out a new automation feature aimed at broadening access to onchain investigative and compliance tools beyond technical users. The feature, called Workflows, allows investigators and compliance teams to run predefined blockchain analyses without writing code, reducing reliance on custom SQL or Python queries. Chainalysis told Cointelegraph that the tool is intended to standardize common investigative processes with prebuilt templates, making them easier to repeat and apply across multiple cases, as the company adapts its data products for a wider range of users. “What previously required technical expertise and lots of time, can now be done by any user in minutes,” said Ekim Buyuk, senior product manager at Chainalysis. “Instead of asking users to understand data schemas, it asks investigation-level questions such as which actors, w...

Bitcoin has become an “element of resistance" in Iran, providing liquidity in an increasingly restricted economic environment, says Chainalysis. Crypto usage in Iran has spiked amid the country’s mass protests, with a surge of Iranians withdrawing Bitcoin to preserve value amid instability, according to Chainalysis. Protests in Iran began around Dec. 28 over worsening economic conditions, after the Iranian rial hit record lows against the US dollar. Demonstrations escalated nationwide, with Iran’s regime responding by cutting internet access, carrying out mass arrests, and reportedly killing thousands. Chainalysis said in a report on Thursday that Iran’s crypto ecosystem hit $7.78 billion in 2025, which accelerated amid the ongoing unrest with a substantial increase in the number of daily crypto transfers and the amounts transacted. Read more

A new report by Chainalysis finds that AI-enabled crypto scams are more efficient, profitable, and harder to stop.

Scams and fraud against individuals are increasing and if the trend continues, they could soon surpass crypto stolen via cyberattacks, Chainalysis said.

Chainalysis reported illicit crypto surged 162% in 2025, led by sanctioned entities, North Korean hacks, Russian tokens, and laundering networks.

Pig-butchering scams are expanding into a transnational crime model, blending trafficking and crypto laundering on a massive scale. The multibillion-dollar scam known as “pig-butchering,” once treated as a consumer-fraud issue, has crossed a new threshold and is prompting concerns over national security.  In a podcast, Chainalysis head of national security intelligence, Andrew Fierman, and former prosecutor Erin West, founder of cross-sector anti-scam nonprofit Operation Shamrock, discussed how pig butchering is becoming a threat to national security.  “So if anybody is touching money in any way, you’re part of this. So you need to be prepared to understand the threat and the gravity of what’s happening on a national security level,” West said, highlighting the importance of education and awareness in combating crypto scams.  Read more

Turkey’s $200 billion crypto market leads the MENA region, but has been fueled more by speculative activity than by sustainable adoption, according to Chainalysis. Turkey has emerged as the leading crypto market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2025, with volumes significantly outpacing those of other markets, including the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, which has grappled with high inflation in recent years, dominated MENA’s crypto market in the past year, recording almost $200 billion in annual transactions, according to the latest regional report by Chainalysis published Thursday. The UAE, the region’s second-largest market, lagged far behind, with crypto volumes of $53 billion, almost four times smaller than those of Turkey. Read more

Russia’s rapid DeFi expansion and increase in large-value transfers indicate growing adoption of crypto for financial services, according to Chainalysis. Crypto adoption in European countries like the United Kingdom and Germany is lagging behind Russia, according to the latest report from US blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Russia emerged as the leading crypto market in Chainalysis’ latest European Crypto Adoption report, receiving $376.3 billion in crypto between July 2024 and June 2025. Published Thursday, the report combines analyses of regions previously examined separately, covering Central, Northern, and Western Europe, as well as Eastern Europe as a whole. Read more

Chainalysis says $75 billion in crypto tied to illicit activity could be recoverable — a figure that may influence nations weighing official crypto reserves. As the United States and other countries weigh the prospect of building national cryptocurrency reserves, new research from Chainalysis suggests governments may already be within reach of tens of billions of dollars in potentially recoverable onchain assets — a development that could intersect with those reserve discussions. In a report published Thursday, Chainalysis estimated that crypto balances linked to illicit activity exceed $75 billion. That total includes roughly $15 billion held directly by illicit entities and more than $60 billion in wallets with downstream exposure to those entities. The blockchain analytics company said darknet market operators and vendors control more than $40 billion in crypto assets on the blockchain. Read more

The region was the fastest growing for on-chain activity, a new Chainalysis report observing transaction data found.

Chainalysis APAC policy lead Chengyi Ong says favorable policy and taxes helped boost crypto in Japan, while stablecoins were popular across the Asia Pacific. Japan’s recent policy shifts have helped the country more than double its crypto adoption over the past year, according to crypto analytics company Chainalysis. Among the top five markets in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, Japan saw the strongest growth, with its value received onchain growing 120% year-on-year in the 12 months to June, according to an excerpt from Chainalysis’ 2025 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report released on Wednesday. Chainalysis’ head of APAC policy, Chengyi Ong, told Cointelegraph that activity in Japan “reflects some of the trends that we saw in the global market, a sharp pickup in trading volumes in the fourth quarter of 2024 on the back of the US presidential election, followed by a tapering.” Read more

The U.S. has jumped from fourth to second place in Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index—but the APAC region leads growth.

The US climbed to second in Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Adoption Index rankings, with India taking out top spot and Pakistan, Vietnam and Brazil rounding out the top five. Regulatory momentum in Washington and crypto exchange-traded funds have pushed the US up two spots into second place for crypto adoption, according to Chainalysis. The US trailed only India, which maintained the top spot for the third year in a row, and contributed to the Asia Pacific region being crowned the fastest-growing between July 2024 and June 2025, Chainalysis said in its 2025 Global Adoption Index published on Wednesday. Chainalysis chief economist Kim Grauer told Cointelegraph that crypto adoption is mostly accelerating in mature markets with clearer rules and institutional rails, and in emerging markets where stablecoins are transforming how people manage money. Read more

Tether, alongside Chainalysis, Binance, OKX, and authorities, has frozen $50M USDT traced to pig butchering scams. The case reflects expanding global cooperation against cross-border crypto fraud and illicit financial activity. The post Tether Freezes $49.6M in ‘Pig Butchering’ Funds – Chainalysis, Binance, OKX Join APAC Crackdown appeared first on Cryptonews.

Violent attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders are on track to hit record highs in 2025, with Asia-Pacific among the hardest-hit regions. These "wrench attacks" involve criminals using physical violence to coerce victims into surrendering their digital assets. The post Asia-Pacific Faces Record Bitcoin Thefts and Deadly “Wrench Attacks”—Chainalysis appeared first on Cryptonews.