Chainalysis: Crypto Gains Skyrocket Worldwide — Investors’ Profit Grew 5x to $163 Billion in 2021

Blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis has found that the total cryptocurrency gains worldwide amounted to $163 billion in 2021, which was 5x the previous year or a 400% increase. Chainalysis on Crypto Gains Worldwide Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis published a blog post last week titled “2021 Cryptocurrency Gains by Country: Ethereum Leads as Gains Skyrocket … Read more

ETH Mixer Tornado Cash Reveals Blocking OFAC Sanctioned Ethereum Addresses via Chainalysis Oracle Contract

According to the project’s official Twitter account, Tornado Cash, the ethereum mixing service that allows participants to shuffle ether, is blocking flagged ethereum addresses listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons list (SDN). The decision follows the recent OFAC update, that lists the Ronin exploiter’s ethereum address, … Read more

Elliptic Identifies ‘Several Hundred Thousand Crypto Addresses’ Tied to Russia-Based Sanctioned Actors

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, blockchain surveillance companies have discussed and implemented ways to combat sanctioned countries from using digital assets. Last week, Chainalysis revealed screening tools for crypto firms that aim to comply with international sanctions. On Monday, the CEO of Elliptic published a blog post describing the company’s work to combat sanction evasion. … Read more

Privacy Crypto Assets XMR, ZEC See Double-Digit Gains Amid Tightened Global Economy

Over the last week, the United States and president Joe Biden’s administration tightened sanctions against Russia a great deal. The U.S. banned Russian energy imports, a number of other types of imported goods, and a series of harsh financial sanctions against Russia. In the midst of a restricted global economy, the top two privacy-centric crypto … Read more

Chainalysis Launches Screening Tools Designed to Prevent Sanctions Evasion

Blockchain forensics company Chainalysis is launching two tools that will allow crypto companies to deny sanctioned persons and entities access to their platforms. The move comes amid concerns that Russia may use cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions imposed due to its invasion of Ukraine. Chainalysis Offers Crypto Industry New Sanctions-Screening Tools As the military conflict in … Read more

Chainalysis Study Shows ‘Criminal Whales’ Hold $25B in Digital Assets, Entities Represent 3.7% of All Crypto Whales

According to research published by Chainalysis, criminal entities hold more than $25 billion in cryptocurrencies. The blockchain intelligence firm’s study shows that there was a significant increase in crypto balances held by criminals in 2021 as the metric jumped by 266% since the year before. Chainalysis Studies Crypto Whales Holding Balances Tied to Illicit Addresses … Read more

De-Mixing Wasabi Coinjoin Transactions: A Deep Dive Into Chainalysis’ Deanonymizing Claims

On Tuesday, journalist Laura Shin published a story that claims to identify the 2016 Genesis DAO hacker who siphoned 3.6 million ethereum from the decentralized autonomous organization. While the story surprised the crypto community, one of the biggest eye-openers was the blockchain analysis methods leveraged, and the claim that Chainalysis allegedly “de-mixed” Wasabi transactions. Community … Read more

Journalist Claims She Identified the 2016 DAO Hacker, Evidence Shows Investigators ‘De-Mixed’ Wasabi Transactions

An article published by journalist Laura Shin, and research stemming from the blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis, claims to identify the alleged identity of The DAO hacker who drained millions of dollars worth of ethereum from the decentralized autonomous organization on June 17, 2016. Shin’s and Chainalysis’s findings accuse the former Tenx CEO, Toby Hoenisch, of … Read more

Report Attributes Large Share of Global Crypto Crime to Russia, Moscow City

The growing popularity of cryptocurrencies has placed Russia among the leaders in adoption. But while it is yet to reach the top of the ranking, the country already has a “disproportionate share” of global activity related to some forms of crime involving cryptocurrency, according to a new study by Chainalysis. Three Quarters of Ransomware Revenue … Read more