There are 4,068 "criminal whales" holding $25 billion worth of cryptocurrencies

Chainalysis data shows that 4,068 “criminal whales” hold $25 billion worth of cryptocurrency, but not all of that $25 billion is illegal. Funding from illicit sources reached $11 billion at the end of 2021, a sharp increase from $3 billion at the end of 2020. Of the $11 billion in illicit balances, stolen funds accounted for 93 percent, or $9.8 billion. Darknet market funding came in second at $448 million, followed by scams at $192 million, fraud shops at $66 million and ransomware at $30 million, the report said. In addition, $3.6 billion in Bitcoin was seized from the 2016 Bitfinex hack last week, meaning the $11 billion illicit balance at the end of 2021 is now well below that figure.