empty
26.01.2022 05:35 PM
Crypto reputation tarnished by money laundering

More than $8.6 billion in cryptocurrencies were laundered by cybercriminals in 2021 - up by 30% from 2020, a report by Chainalysys said.

According to the report, which was released on January 26, more than $33 billion worth of crypto were laundered since 2017. Due to rising crypto prices, most of the total laundered money was moved to centralized exchanges over time.

The sharp rise in money laundering activity in 2021 is not surprising, given the significant growth of both legal and illegal crypto activity last year, Chainalysis said.

Furthermore, rising stock prices could have led to speculative traders using the crypto market crypto to convert their gains into cash or vice versa.

During money laundering, cash that was acquired from illegal activities is being legalized and transferred to accounts of legal institutions, and its true origin is concealed.

According to Chainalysis, only 17% of the laundered $8.6 billion went to decentralized finance applications (DeFi, DAO, etc.), referring to the sector which facilitates crypto-denominated financial transactions outside traditional banks. This was up from 2% in 2020

In theory, the rising amount of DeFi transactions should have led to an increased inflow of illegally-acquired cash. However, a sizeable portion of the laundered money was likely moved to more popular market sectors.

Mining pools, high-risk exchanges, and mixers also saw substantial increases in value received from illicit addresses, the report said. Mixers typically combine potentially identifiable or tainted cryptocurrency funds with others, in order to conceal the trail to the fund's original source.

Wallet addresses associated with theft sent just under half of their stolen funds, or more than $750 million worth of crypto in total, to decentralized finance platforms. Legalizing laundered funds via DeFi could probably be easier compared to other means. Furthermore, it could also serve as a profitable yet risky investment, with yield higher than those offered by bonds or deposits in regular banks.

Chainalysis also clarified that the $8.6 billion laundered last year represents funds derived from crypto-native crime such as darknet market sales or ransomware attacks in which profits are in crypto instead of fiat currencies.

"It's more difficult to measure how much fiat currency derived from off-line crime — traditional drug trafficking, for example — is converted into cryptocurrency to be laundered. However, we know anecdotally this is happening," Chainalysis said.

Crypto tokens could be used for both legitimate and illegal purposes. However, increased government regulation could be necessary to minimize the crypto's misuse by cybercriminals. Otherwise, the resulting scrutiny and accusations could severely undermine the crypto industry.

Summary
Urgency
Analytic
Egor Danilov
Start trade
Gana con los cambios en el valor de las criptomonedas con InstaForex.
Descarga MetaTrader 4 y abre tu primera operación.
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    UNIRSE AL CONCURSO

Recommended Stories

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin (BTC/USD) el 24 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin ha formado otro flat en los máximos, algo que últimamente hace con bastante frecuencia. Las correcciones del Bitcoin seguimos observándolas muy raramente. Los participantes institucionales del mercado continúan

Paolo Greco 07:22 2025-07-24 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin (BTC/USD) el 23 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin ha formado otro flat en los máximos, algo que últimamente hace con bastante frecuencia. Las correcciones del Bitcoin seguimos observándolas muy rara vez. Los participantes institucionales del mercado

Paolo Greco 08:26 2025-07-23 UTC+2

Criptomercado: la temporada de altcoins gana impulso

Criptomercado: a mediados de este mes, el par DOG/USD volvió a la zona de mercado alcista de mediano plazo, permaneciendo también en las zonas de mercado alcista de largo plazo

Jurij Tolin 14:33 2025-07-22 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin (BTC/USD) el 22 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin comenzó un retroceso bajista después de alcanzar el nivel de 123 200$. Sin embargo, este retroceso por ahora es solo una palabra. Diríamos que el Bitcoin simplemente dejó

Paolo Greco 07:51 2025-07-22 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin (BTC/USD) el 21 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin comenzó una corrección bajista después de haber alcanzado la marca de 123 200 $. Sin embargo, esta corrección puede describirse ahora con la frase "una broma

Paolo Greco 07:58 2025-07-21 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con Solana (SOL/USD) el 21 de julio según el sistema ICT.

Solana sigue siendo actualmente el activo más atractivo para los traders. La criptomoneda mantiene un movimiento ascendente bastante sólido, pero al mismo tiempo se mueve de manera mucho más técnica

Paolo Greco 06:16 2025-07-21 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Ethereum (ETH/USD) el 21 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Ethereum sigue volando hacia el cielo. Mirando el movimiento actual al alza, ¿puede alguien decir que es consecuencia de razones fundamentales? Simplemente la demanda por el Ethereum está creciendo

Paolo Greco 06:14 2025-07-21 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin (BTC/USD) el 18 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin comenzó una corrección bajista después de haber alcanzado la marca de 123 200$ y la terminó literalmente al día siguiente. Desde el punto de vista del análisis técnico

Paolo Greco 07:50 2025-07-18 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin el 17 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin comenzó un retroceso descendente después de alcanzar la marca de 123 200$, pero por ahora eso es solo un nombre. El Bitcoin retrocedió, pero en el marco temporal

Paolo Greco 07:19 2025-07-17 UTC+2

Recomendaciones para operar con el Bitcoin el 16 de julio según el sistema ICT.

El Bitcoin comenzó una corrección bajista después de haber alcanzado el nivel de 123 200 $. En este momento, la caída ya es de unos 6 000 $. El "oro

Paolo Greco 08:09 2025-07-16 UTC+2
¿No puede hablar ahora mismo?
Ingrese su pregunta en el chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.