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Chainalysis
2026-09-29 23:16:52

Chainalysis says crypto crime is becoming more professionalized, with attackers adopting AI faster than defenders

During Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok in April 2026, Chainalysis ASEAN and Hong Kong Regional Director Diederik Van Wersch told WuBlockchain that the crypto industry is entering a phase where several forces are converging at once: stablecoins are moving deeper into payments, more institutions are entering on-chain finance, regulators are shifting from rulemaking to enforcement, and AI is changing both attack and defense. In his view, that convergence matters more than any single trend on its own. Van Wersch said on-chain crime is becoming more organized and industrialized. Chainalysis cited figures from its 2026 Crypto Crime Report showing that crypto addresses linked to illicit activity received at least $154 billion in 2025, up 162% year over year, with value received by sanctioned entities rising 694%. He also argued that blockchain transparency does not automatically make the sector safer. Public data still needs attribution, cross-chain tracing, behavioral analysis, and real-world context before it can support risk decisions. The interview also covered stablecoin compliance, regional competition among Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UAE, growth across APAC markets such as India, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and the limits of manual investigations as criminals begin using AI more aggressively. Van Wersch said attackers are currently adopting AI faster because they face fewer regulatory and audit constraints, but he maintained that defenders still hold a structural advantage because blockchain transactions remain traceable and auditable over time.

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Chainalysis says crypto crime is becoming more professionalized, with attackers adopting AI faster than defenders
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