North Korea-Linked Hackers Steal Record $2B in 2025, Chainalysis Says

Published at 2025-12-18 13:15:25

Chainalysis released a report showing North Korea–linked hacking groups moved an estimated $2 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, continuing a trend toward high-value strikes against centralized platforms. The firm notes attackers have concentrated on fewer, larger operations—a pattern that began in 2024 and was exemplified by the $1.4 billion Bybit breach.

The scale of these thefts heightens risks for exchanges, amplifies concerns about sanctions evasion, and puts renewed focus on AML controls and custody hardening. Chainalysis warns that once stolen assets hit mixers or cross-chain bridges recovery is difficult, so regulators and market participants should expect increased scrutiny, pressure for stronger incident response, and calls for greater transparency from centralized platforms.

North KoreaCrypto TheftBybitChainalysisSanctionsExchange Security

Share on:

The Iranian rial plunged to a record low, spurring protests and driving many citizens to use stablecoins to protect savings and access foreign currency. Analysts say a near-term recovery looks unlikely without a clear economic plan.

StablecoinsRemittancesIranCryptoRialSanctions

Published at 2026-01-15 15:45:16

Did Venezuela’s Narco-Terror Regime Use Crypto? U.S. Seizure Raises Questions

Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty this week in a New York court after U.S. authorities seized him in Caracas, and the case has prompted fresh questions about whether his regime used cryptocurrencies to move money or evade sanctions.

CryptoVenezuelaAMLSanctionsMaduroNarco-terrorism

Published at 2026-01-08 19:46:24

Venezuela Sanctions Prove Stablecoins' Real-World Utility

Cut off from traditional dollar rails, Venezuela is increasingly using dollar-pegged stablecoins for payments, remittances and savings. The shift highlights stablecoins' practical role as cross-border payment rails while raising regulatory and compliance questions.

VenezuelaSanctionsRemittancesStablecoinsRegulation

Published at 2026-01-07 14:15:09

Russia sanctions freeze $500M in Telegram funding

Western sanctions tied to Russia led to a bond freeze that cut Telegram off from $500 million in funding, raising immediate questions about the company’s financing and project plans. The development underscores broader market risk from sanctions on crypto-adjacent firms.

RussiaFundingSanctionsTelegramCrypto

Published at 2026-01-06 13:15:06

U.S. Moves to Seize Venezuela’s Bitcoin After Maduro Arrest

The U.S. is preparing to freeze and seize Venezuela’s Bitcoin holdings after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in a New York federal court. The move could mark a major test of how state-held crypto is treated under U.S. sanctions and asset-forfeiture law.