The blockchain analytics company said the funding will support expansion of AI-powered compliance and transaction monitoring software for banks and crypto firms. Blockchain analytics company Elliptic raised $120 million in a Series D funding round backed by investors including Nasdaq Ventures, Deutsche Bank and the British Business Bank, as stablecoins and tokenized assets see broader institutional adoption. The funding round, led by One Peak, values Elliptic at $670 million and will be used to expand its AI-driven blockchain analytics and transaction monitoring services for banks, fintech companies, government agencies and crypto firms, according to the announcement. Elliptic said its platform screens more than 1 billion blockchain transactions per week across more than 65 networks and is used by over 700 customers in 30 countries. Read more
Elliptic said the ruble-backed A7A5 token functioned as a bridge into USDT markets before sanctions and exchange controls curbed its growth. A ruble-backed stablecoin linked to sanctioned Russian financial networks processed more than $100 billion in onchain transactions in less than a year, according to a new report from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. In a report published Thursday, Elliptic said the A7A5 stablecoin was designed to operate within a broader framework intended to reduce exposure to Western financial sanctions. The structure allowed Russian-linked businesses to move value through crypto markets while limiting the risk of asset freezes. Elliptic found that A7A5’s activity surged following its launch in early 2025, before slowing down in the second half of the year as sanctions and compliance actions taken by exchanges and token issuers started to restrict its usability. Read more
The Central Bank of Iran reportedly stockpiled more than half a billion dollars worth of USDt amid escalating protests and crypto usage in the country. Blockchain analytics platform Elliptic reported that the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) acquired more than half a billion dollars worth of Tether’s USDt, with indications that the stablecoins were used to prop up the country’s fiat currency. In a Wednesday report, Elliptic said Iran’s central bank had about $507 million in USDt (USDT), the US dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Tether. According to the platform, it was likely that the bank used the digital assets to address the collapse of Iran’s rial or settle international trade. “The CBI's accumulation of USDT began in earnest during a period of extreme economic volatility,” said Elliptic. “The value of the rial had halved in just eight months, to a record low against the dollar (at the time). Iran's central bank may have attempted to stem this decline by buying rials with USDT on Nobitex, effectively using cryp...