Chainalysis: 4,068 criminal whales hold over $25 billion worth of cryptocurrencies

Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis has released the 2022 Crypto Crime Report, which shows that there are 4,068 criminal whales (referring to any private wallet that holds $1 million or more of cryptocurrency and more than 10% of the funds come from illegal addresses) Holding over $25 billion worth of cryptocurrency, criminal whales account for 3.7% of all crypto whales (private wallets holding over $1 million worth of cryptocurrency). Additionally, Chainalysis found that stolen funds dominate criminal balances, accounting for 93% of all criminal balances at $9.8 billion by the end of 2021. And crime balances have increased significantly, with criminals holding $11 billion worth of funds of known illicit origin by the end of 2021, up from just $3 billion at the end of 2020. But at the same time, law enforcement’s growing ability to seize cryptocurrencies from criminals continues to shatter the myth that cryptocurrencies are the perfect criminal asset that cannot be traced or seized.