20/69 Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Cryptocurrency transactions linked to illicit activity reached an all-time high in 2025, according to blockchain analytics data. Crypto addresses associated with criminal activity received at least USD 154 billion, representing a 162% increase year over year. This surge highlights a clear shift in cybercrime from purely financial motives toward broader national security–driven objectives. A major contributing factor was the expanded use of digital assets by sanctioned entities, whose transaction volumes increased by 694%, making 2025 a record-breaking year across nearly all categories of crypto-related crime.
Nation-state threats emerged as the primary driver of this growth. North Korean cyber operations significantly escalated crypto theft, causing losses exceeding USD 2 billion. A major attack in February-valued at nearly USD 1.5 billion-was recorded as the largest digital asset theft in the history of cryptocurrency. At the same time, stablecoins became the dominant medium for illicit transactions, accounting for 84% of total volume, reflecting increasingly sophisticated and organized attack and money-laundering strategies.
Meanwhile, sanctions-driven crypto economies in Russia and Iran expanded substantially, with the development of digital financial infrastructure designed to bypass international restrictions. In addition, Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs) have risen as full-service criminal infrastructure providers, offering capabilities ranging from money laundering and sanctions evasion to enabling cybercrime groups and state-linked actors. While traditional forms of cybercrime continue to persist, a particularly alarming trend is the growing convergence between crypto-enabled crime and physical violence, including human trafficking and forced digital asset transfers-underscoring an increasingly complex and global challenge for law enforcement agencies worldwide.
Source https://gbhackers.com/crypto-transactions/
