Illicit cryptocurrency addresses received at least $154 billion in 2025, a 162% increase year-over-year, according to Chainalysis. Sanctioned entities were the primary driver, receiving $104 billion after a 694% surge in value received. Chainalysis, which calls itself the blockchain data platform, provides data, software and research to government agencies, exchanges, financial institutions and cybersecurity companies in over 70 countries. These Chainalysis statistics separate the company’s own numbers from the crime, adoption and tax data it produces.
The company’s Series F, announced on May 12, 2022, raised $170 million at an $8.6 billion valuation. None of the Chainalysis publications cited here disclose revenue or headcount.
Key Takeaways
- Sanctioned entities received $104 billion of the record $154 billion illicit total in 2025. That is 67.5% of the year’s illicit volume.
- Chainalysis first reported $40.9 billion in illicit volume for 2024, then raised its 2024 estimate to $57.2 billion a year later.
- North Korean hackers stole at least $2.02 billion in 2025, a 51% increase, taking their all-time total to $6.75 billion.
- Brazil ranked first on the 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index with a $252.5 billion crypto economy.
- On-chain economic activity slipped just 1.6%, from $9.5 trillion to $9.4 trillion, while crypto’s market cap fell about 50%.
- Chainalysis reported more than 750 customers in 70 countries when it raised its Series F in May 2022.
- Violent attacks on crypto holders took a record $58 million in 2025 and more than $30 million in 2026 through mid-year.
Editor’s Choice
- Illicit crypto received in 2025: At least $154 billion.
- Crypto stolen in 2025: Over $3.4 billion, including $1.5 billion from the Bybit compromise.
- Scam revenue received on-chain in 2025: At least $14 billion.
- Ransomware payments in 2025: More than $820 million.
- Potentially taxable on-chain crypto activity in 2025: More than $457 billion.
- Series F valuation, May 2022: $8.6 billion.
Chainalysis Statistics on Company Size and Customers
- Jonathan Levin is the company’s co-founder and CEO.
- In May 2022, the company reported more than 750 customers after a 75% rise in customer count over the prior year.
- More than 100 financial institutions were customers at that point, after the financial services customer base tripled.
- The number of customers paying more than $100,000 in annual recurring revenue rose 75% to 150.
- At its March 2026 Links conference, the company cited billions of screened transactions and over ten million investigations behind its platform.
| Metric | Figure | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Countries with customers | Over 70 | Company page |
| Total customers | More than 750 | May 2022 |
| Financial institution customers | More than 100 | May 2022 |
| Customers above $100,000 in annual recurring revenue | 150 | May 2022 |
| Customer NPS score | 80%+ | May 2022 |
| Investigations behind the platform | Over ten million | March 2026 |
| Revenue | Not disclosed in cited sources. | Not disclosed in cited sources. |
| Employees | Not disclosed in cited sources. | Not disclosed in cited sources. |
Source: Chainalysis company page, Series F announcement (May 2022), blockchain intelligence agents launch (March 2026)
About This Data
Compiled from 16 sources: 15 Chainalysis publications (crime and adoption reports, funding announcements and the company page) and 1 federal court docket. Source dates run from March 2021 to September 2026. Only figures Chainalysis or a court published were used, and undisclosed metrics are marked as such. Figures are reviewed on a rolling basis and updated when Chainalysis publishes new editions.
How big is Chainalysis?
Chainalysis reported more than 750 customers in 70 countries and an $8.6 billion valuation when it raised $170 million in May 2022. None of the Chainalysis publications cited here disclose revenue or headcount.
Illicit Crypto Volume Estimates by Year
- Illicit addresses received at least $154 billion in 2025, a 162% increase year-over-year.
- Chainalysis first reported $40.9 billion for 2024, then raised its 2024 estimate to $57.2 billion one year later.
- That revision added 39.9% to the 2024 figure.
- Stablecoins accounted for 84% of all illicit transaction volume.
- The illicit share of all attributed crypto transaction volume increased slightly from 2024 but remained below 1%.
- Ransomware follows the same pattern: the 2024 total grew from an initial $813 million estimate to $892 million.
- Chainalysis says its annual scam estimates grow by an average of 24% between reporting periods.
View the data
| Estimate | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024, first reported | 40.9 |
| 2024, revised | 57.2 |
| 2025 | 154 |
Is Chainalysis a reliable source?
Chainalysis says only its data has been ruled reliable and admissible in court. It also describes its crime totals as lower-bound estimates based on the illicit addresses identified to date. Read each annual figure as a floor that later editions are likely to raise, not as a final count, including when it is compared with other crypto anti-money laundering statistics.
Recent Developments
- September 23, 2026: Chainalysis published its 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index, ranking Brazil first among 117 countries.
- September 10, 2026: Judge Stephen S. Schwartz denied a motion for judgment from Chainalysis Government Solutions, LLC and dismissed its case against the United States (DHS), in which TRM Labs, Inc. had intervened.
- August 26, 2026: Chainalysis put potentially taxable on-chain crypto activity at more than $457 billion for 2025.
- August 25, 2026: Operation Lighthouse, a Chainalysis-led sprint, generated 14,300 investigative leads and identified CSAM-linked suspects in 125 countries.
- August 6, 2026: Chainalysis estimated that violent attackers extracted more than $30 million from crypto holders in 2026 through mid-year.
Chainalysis Funding and Valuation Statistics
- Chainalysis’s Series D, announced in March 2021, raised $100 million, valued Chainalysis at over $2 billion, and was led by Paradigm.
- Coatue led a $100 million Series E in June 2021 at a $4.2 billion valuation.
- GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, led a $170 million Series F in May 2022 at an $8.6 billion valuation.
- The valuation rose 104.8% between the Series E and the Series F.
- These three rounds raised $370 million combined.
- Accel, Blackstone, Dragoneer, and FundersClub increased their investment in the Series F, and the Bank of New York Mellon and Emergence Capital also participated.
- Altimeter, Blackstone, GIC, Pictet, Sequoia Heritage and SVB Capital joined the Series E.
| Round | Announced | Amount raised | Valuation | Lead investor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series D | March 26, 2021 | $100 million | Over $2 billion | Paradigm |
| Series E | June 24, 2021 | $100 million | $4.2 billion | Coatue |
| Series F | May 12, 2022 | $170 million | $8.6 billion | GIC |
Source: Chainalysis Series D (March 2021), Series E (June 2021), and Series F (May 2022) announcements
Sanctions and Nation-State Crypto Statistics
- Sanctioned entities received $104 billion in 2025, after a 694% increase in value received.
- That equals 67.5% of the illicit total of at least $154 billion.
- Grinex and Meer, two exchanges sanctioned in part for facilitating A7A5 activity, processed at least $4.76 billion and $305 million in 2025.
- The IRGC and its proxy networks accounted for over 50% of Iranian value received in Q4 2025 and over $3 billion in transfers across the year.
- Huione Group processed over $98 billion of crypto inflows between August 2021 and January 2025, including over $4 billion in confirmed illicit proceeds.
| Entity or network | Value received or processed | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctioned entities, all | $104 billion | 2025 |
| A7A5 ruble-backed stablecoin | $93.3 billion | Less than one year |
| Huione Group inflows | Over $98 billion | Aug 2021 to Jan 2025 |
| Venezuela transaction flows | $44.6 billion | 2025 |
| Iranian crypto ecosystem | Over $7.78 billion | 2025 |
| Grinex exchange | At least $4.76 billion | 2025 |
| IRGC-linked networks | Over $3 billion | 2025 |
| Meer exchange | At least $305 million | 2025 |
Source: Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report, sanctions chapter (March 2026)
Key finding: Chainalysis traced $93.3 billion through A7A5, a ruble-backed token, and found its trading volume surges Monday through Friday and drops on weekends. The firm reads that rhythm as a settlement layer for the Russian government and businesses, not retail use.
Designations by regulators now move the largest line in the crime totals, which ties the data closely to OFAC sanctions and crypto transaction data.
Crypto Theft and North Korea Hack Statistics
- Over $3.4 billion in crypto was stolen from January through early December 2025.
- North Korean hackers stole at least $2.02 billion, $681 million more than in 2024, a 51% increase.
- DPRK attacks accounted for a record 76% of all service compromises.
- The top three hacks of 2025 accounted for 69% of all service losses.
- Value stolen from individual victims declined from 2024’s peak of $1.5 billion to $713 million in 2025.
| Theft metric | 2025 figure |
|---|---|
| Total crypto stolen (January to early December) | Over $3.4 billion |
| Stolen by DPRK-linked hackers | At least $2.02 billion |
| Bybit compromise (February) | $1.5 billion |
| Value stolen from individual wallets | $713 million |
| DPRK cumulative total, all years | $6.75 billion |
| Individual wallet theft incidents | 158,000 |
| Unique wallet victims | At least 80,000 |
Source: Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report, stolen funds chapter (December 2025)
A few large breaches, such as Bybit’s $1.5 billion compromise, drive service-side losses, tracked in the largest crypto hacks on record, while Chainalysis’s own wallet data shows the other side: more victims, smaller losses (see also phishing and wallet drainer incident data).
Crypto Scam Statistics
- Crypto scams received at least $14 billion on-chain in 2025.
- Chainalysis projects the 2025 figure could exceed $17 billion as it identifies more illicit wallet addresses.
- The 2024 figure, first reported at $9.9 billion, reached $12 billion on recalculation.
- The average scam payment rose from $782 in 2024 to $2,764 in 2025, a 253% increase.
- Impersonation scams grew 1,400% year-over-year.
- AI-enabled scams were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional scams.
- Law enforcement seizures included 61,000 bitcoin in the UK and $15 billion linked to the Prince Group criminal organization.
View the data
| Estimate | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024, first reported | 9.9 |
| 2024, recalculated | 12 |
| 2025 | 14 |
Larger average payments point to fewer, bigger transfers. For the wider picture, see our cryptocurrency fraud statistics.
Ransomware Payment Statistics
- Ransomware actors received more than $820 million in on-chain payments in 2025, down approximately 8% from $892 million in 2024.
- Chainalysis expects the 2025 total to approach or exceed $900 million as it attributes more payments.
- Claimed ransomware victims rose 50% year-over-year in eCrime.ch data, the most active year on record.
- The share of ransoms paid potentially reached an all-time low of 28%.
| Ransomware metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| On-chain ransomware payments | $892 million | More than $820 million |
| Median ransom payment | $12,738 | $59,556 |
Source: Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report, ransomware chapter (February 2026)
The takeaway: Ransomware payments slipped to more than $820 million in 2025 even as claimed attacks rose 50%, and the median payment climbed to $59,556. A smaller share of victims is paying, but those who pay are handing over far larger sums.
Violent Wrench Attack Statistics
- Violent attacks took $58 million from crypto holders in 2025, the highest on record.
- Attackers extracted more than $30 million in 2026 through mid-year.
- Including attempted extractions, totals reached roughly $316 million in 2024, $180 million in 2025 and $107 million so far in 2026.
- Only 26% of violent theft attempts (12 of 46) resulted in payment through late June 2026, against 49% in 2025 and 67% in 2024.
- Home invasions account for 37% of incidents in 2026, up from 26% in 2023.
- Chainalysis links the falling success rate to a cluster of attacks in France after a compromise of French tax agency records.
View the data
| Period | Attempts | Attempts that resulted in payment |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 48 | 32 |
| 2025 | 95 | 47 |
| 2026 (through late June) | 46 | 12 |
Physical risk: Home invasions now make up 37% of 2026 incidents.
Global Crypto Adoption Index Statistics
- Brazil ranked first among 117 countries on the 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index, with a $252.5 billion crypto economy.
- Brazil placed second in cross-border flows, third in total service flows, third in domestic peer-to-peer activity, and fourth in on-chain balances.
- Chainalysis placed the United States of America second overall and first in total flows and balances, but 20th in peer-to-peer activity and 11th in cross-border flows.
- Nigeria ranked third overall and first in both peer-to-peer activity and cross-border flows.
- The seventh edition ranks countries across four factors: service flows, domestic peer-to-peer activity, cross-border flows and on-chain balances.
- India ranked first in the 2025 index, which covered 151 countries, followed by the United States, Pakistan, Vietnam and Brazil.
| Country | Overall rank | Total flows rank | Balances rank | P2P economy rank | Cross-border flows rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| United States | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 11 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| Japan | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
| Republic of Korea | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 12 |
| India | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 16 |
| Ukraine | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Thailand | 8 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| South Africa | 9 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 3 |
| Canada | 10 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
Source: Chainalysis 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index (September 2026)
India ranked first in 2025 and sixth in 2026. The 2025 index ranked 151 countries and the 2026 edition 117, so compare the two ranks and other crypto adoption by country measures carefully.
On-Chain Crypto Economy and Stablecoin Statistics
- On-chain economic activity slipped 1.6%, from $9.5 trillion to $9.4 trillion, even as crypto’s total market cap fell about 50%.
- Value moving directly between personal wallets inside countries rose 302.9%, from $56.8 billion to $228.7 billion.
- Cross-border stablecoin transfers rose 77.5%, from $124.2 billion to $220.3 billion, in payments that average about $3,000.
- Value flowing into exchanges, DeFi protocols, and other businesses fell 4.3%, from $9.30 trillion to $8.90 trillion.
- The 2026 period covers July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, and the 2025 period covers July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
View the data
| Channel | 12 months to June 30, 2025 | 12 months to June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic peer-to-peer transfers | 56.8 | 228.7 |
| Cross-border stablecoin transfers | 124.2 | 220.3 |
A halved market cap against a near-flat on-chain economy shows usage holding up better than price in this downturn, and stablecoin rails increasingly carry cross-border payment flows.
Potentially Taxable Crypto Activity Statistics
- Potentially taxable on-chain crypto activity reached more than $457 billion in 2025.
- The United States accounted for roughly $112.6 billion of that total.
- That puts the US share at about 24.6%.
- North America led all regions with $134.6 billion, followed by the European Union at $125.1 billion and East Asia at $54.7 billion.
- The estimate covers six blockchains and likely understates activity because trading, staking, and lending inside centralized exchanges are not visible on-chain.
View the data
| Country | Value |
|---|---|
| United States | 112.6 |
| Germany | 24.1 |
| China | 21.0 |
| United Kingdom | 19.4 |
| India | 19.0 |
| Brazil | 16.1 |
| Canada | 15.1 |
| Japan | 13.2 |
Germany followed the United States at $24.1 billion, with China ($21.0 billion), the United Kingdom ($19.4 billion), India ($19.0 billion), Brazil ($16.1 billion), Canada ($15.1 billion), and Japan ($13.2 billion) rounding out the leading countries. Grouped by region instead, North America’s $134.6 billion outpaces the European Union’s $125.1 billion and East Asia’s $54.7 billion.
View the data
| Region | Value |
|---|---|
| North America | 134.6 |
| European Union | 125.1 |
| East Asia | 54.7 |
On-chain estimates like these complement official global crypto tax reporting statistics rather than replace them, since each counts a different slice of activity.
Conclusion
Chainalysis puts illicit crypto receipts at a record $154 billion, with sanctioned entities receiving $104 billion of it. Each total is a minimum that later editions tend to raise.
On the company side, the Series F announcement reported an $8.6 billion valuation and more than 750 customers in 70 countries. The next Crypto Crime Report and any new funding disclosure are the two releases most likely to change these numbers.
