Public Key

The Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report Preview (Part 1)

Feb 24, 2025
Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis and a sanctions and cryptocurrency expert, discusses the upcoming Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report. He highlights the alarming rise of crypto services used by illicit actors, focusing on North Korea's financing methods and the role of Russian Instant Exchangers. The conversation unpacks the emerging alliances between nations like Russia, Iran, and China, and emphasizes how blockchain technology is reshaping sanctions enforcement while posing significant national security risks.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Enhanced Sanctions Enforcement

  • Blockchain technology enhances sanctions enforcement by revealing ownership and transactional activity.
  • This transparency allows for faster identification of sanctioned entities and their networks, unlike traditional finance.
ANECDOTE

Hamas and Crypto Donations

  • Hamas and Al-Qassam Brigades initially used a single Bitcoin wallet for donations, then switched to single-use wallets for each donor.
  • Due to donor prosecution enabled by blockchain transparency, they ultimately stopped accepting cryptocurrency donations.
INSIGHT

Secondary Sanctions Impact

  • Secondary sanctions applied to entities on the OFAC SDN list create additional risk for countries doing business with sanctioned entities.
  • This has led to situations like China cooling relations with Russia to avoid such risks.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app