Chainalysis Archives

The U.S. government has shifted away from seizing assets from sanctioned Russian oligarchs such as this yacht owned by the Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Instead, authorities are taking down their money laundering networks and other financial systems. (Photo by Focke Strangmann/AFP via Getty Images)

IRS gives Ukraine tools to expose Russian oligarchs hiding riches in crypto exchanges

The agency's crime-fighting unit will provide licenses and training for a Chainalysis platform to track Russian oligarch's assets in Ukraine.

May 11, 2023 By AJ Vicens

Bitcoins on a conveyor belt. (Vector illustration)

Report: Illicit cryptocurrency activity reached all-time high in 2022

A sharp increase in crypto-currency related sanctions resulted in far more crypto transactions being considered illicit.

Jan 12, 2023 By Tonya Riley

lazarus group — North Korean flags blow outside an apartment building. Lazarus Group, a broad set of suspected North Korean hackers, is behind Operation Sharpshooter, according to McAfee. (Flickr user (stephan))

Cryptocurrency ‘mixers’ see record transactions from sanctioned actors

An increase in funds sent from illicit addresses has accelerated the rise, indicating the technology remains attractive to cyber criminals.

Jul 14, 2022 By Tonya Riley

dark web, hacker, transaction — (Getty Images)

FBI takes down dark web marketplace for U.S. citizen personal data

The crime operation may have been connected to Joker's Stash.

Jun 7, 2022 By Tonya Riley

(Photo by NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Losses to cryptocurrency scams top $1B, FTC reports

Nearly half of the scams originated on social media.

Jun 3, 2022 By Tonya Riley

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – MARCH 17: Coins of Bitcoin are offered as merchandising in an exchange shop on March 17, 2022, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images)

Cryptocurrency regulators are scrambling to catch up with hackers who are swiping billions

But who's in charge has become a game of hot potato.

May 6, 2022 By Tonya Riley

St. Basil’s Cathedral (Flickr user thesash2)

In a first, Treasury Department sanctions major cryptocurrency mining firm

Treasury: "By operating vast server farms that sell virtual currency mining capacity internationally, these companies help Russia monetize its natural resources."

Apr 20, 2022 By Tonya Riley

Students of the Pyongyang Jang Chol Gu University of Commerce watch footage on March 25, 2022, of the previous day’s launch of the Hwasong-17 missile — North Korea’s first ICBM test since 2017. (Photo by KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Treasury updates Lazarus Group sanctions with digital currency address linked to Ronin Bridge hack

The address received $600 million in Ethereum and other digital currency during the March attack, crypto-tracking company Chainalysis said.

Apr 14, 2022 By Joe Warminsky

One of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s prestigious villas on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, also affected by the EU’s economic sanctions aimed at countering the conflict in Ukraine on March 20, 2022 in Porto Cervo, Italy. Italian authorities have seized several villas and yachts owned by wealthy Russians targeted by EU sanctions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Contributor#8526142/Getty Images)

A practical reason why crypto might not work for large-scale sanctions evasion

According to crypto-tracking company Chainalysis, the markets probably couldn't handle it without prices tanking.

Apr 13, 2022 By Joe Warminsky

A tour group stops near Moscow’s International Business Centre, also known was Moscow City, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images)

For signs of cryptocurrency laundering, look closely at Moscow firms, report says

"A huge amount of cryptocurrency-based money laundering ... goes through services with substantial operations in Russia," Chainalysis reports.

Feb 14, 2022 By Joe Warminsky