Криптоэкономика под натиском: объемы нелегальных активов выросли на фоне глобальных хаосов Translation: Cryptocurrency Economy Under Pressure: Illegal Asset Volumes Surge Amid Global Turmoil

In 2025, illegal cryptocurrency wallets received over $154 billion, marking a 162% increase compared to 2024. This information comes from a report by Chainalysis.

Analysts attribute this surge largely to an uptick in activities related to sanctions, including those at the national level. Over the past year, the volume of illicit digital assets in the sector grew by 694%.

«The share of these illicit transactions remains negligible compared to the broader crypto economy, which is primarily composed of legal operations. Our assessment of illegal transactions as a percentage of total crypto transactions saw a slight increase compared to 2024 but still remains below 1%,» experts clarified.

Chainalysis also highlighted the shift in the types of assets involved in crypto crimes. In 2025, stablecoins became the dominant instrument in the «black» economy, accounting for 84%, a significant change from five years ago when Bitcoin held that position.

«This reflects broader trends within the ecosystem, where stablecoins are capturing a significant and growing share of all crypto activity due to their practical advantages: ease of cross-border transfer, low volatility, and a broader range of applications,» researchers noted.

According to Chainalysis, a significant portion of the illegal transactions in 2025 was attributed to entities presumably under state control.

The past year proved to be exceptionally lucrative for hackers from North Korea, who stole over $2 billion, primarily due to an attack on the Bybit exchange.

Russia accounted for approximately $93.3 billion, linked to transactions involving ruble stablecoins intended to circumvent international restrictions.

Chinese money laundering networks were described by analysts as a «dominant force,» providing services and infrastructure for fraudsters, hackers, and sanctioned individuals.

Iranian proxy networks associated with terrorist organizations executed transactions in blockchains amounting to at least $2 billion.

«Many still perceive crypto crimes as a virtual phenomenon, carried out by faceless perpetrators behind keyboards, rather than as a real-world threat. In reality, we are witnessing an increasing connection between blockchain activity and violent crimes. Digital assets are increasingly used in human trafficking, and there is a particularly alarming rise in instances of physical harm [against crypto investors],» concluded Chainalysis.

It should be noted that in 2025, losses from crypto phishing decreased by 83%, as reported by analysts from SlowMist.