Cryptocoin

Let’s be honest: crypto isn’t just for tech bros and investors anymore. Crypto was built to be transparent, but criminals are getting incredibly good at turning it into a black hole. A new report from Chainalysis just dropped a bombshell: at least $82 billion in illicit funds flowed through digital assets last year. That isn’t just a small jump. It’s a complete explosion compared to the $10 billion we saw back in 2020.

This isn’t just about lone hackers anymore. We are looking at a full-blown service industry. Highly organized, Chinese-speaking networks have basically become the “shadow banks” of the underworld. They aren’t hiding in the deep web, either. They’re doing business right on Telegram. These crews process roughly $40 million every single day. China might have banned crypto, but for these guys, business is booming.

You might wonder how they move this much cash without getting burned. They use “guarantee” platforms. Think of it as a shady escrow service. These sites make sure the crook gets their “clean” money and the launderer gets their fee. It’s a business built on a weird kind of honor among thieves. Chainalysis flagged about 1,800 digital wallets that exist for no other reason than to keep this cycle spinning.

It’s not just internet scams. This $82 billion is the lifeblood for things most people don’t want to think about—human trafficking, drug cartels, and massive fraud. These laundering networks make crime “profitable” because they give the bad guys a way to spend their loot in the real world.

Law enforcement is trying to keep up, but it’s a high-speed game of cat and mouse. When one platform gets taken down, three more pop up overnight. For 2026, the real question is whether regulators can actually break the chain. Right now, the launderers are running a much faster race.