Chainalysis: IRGC moved over $2 billion in crypto to fund proxies

Beincrypto reports that Chainalysis found Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) transacted more than $2 billion in cryptocurrency to bypass sanctions and fund proxy operations.

Chainalysis said illicit on-chain activity surged in 2025, rising 162% to at least $154 billion. Russia accounted for the largest share: transactions linked to its ruble-pegged A7A5 stablecoin reached at least $93 billion and were the primary factor behind an almost sevenfold increase in crypto activity among sanctioned entities. Chainalysis also noted the IRGC figure could be higher because it only reflects US sanctions designations.

The report named North Korean-linked hackers as responsible for about $2 billion in stolen funds and described Chinese money laundering networks that have professionalized services such as laundering-as-a-service and full criminal infrastructure support for fraud, sanctions evasion and terrorist financing. Chainalysis highlighted rising links between on-chain activity and physical crime: physical attacks on bitcoin holders rose 33% and violent robberies and kidnappings jumped 169% in 2025.

Chainalysis clarified that illicit transactions still represent a small share of total crypto activity but said the security risks have reached unprecedented levels; the report was published Thursday.

Key Topics

Crypto, Irgc, Chainalysis, Russia, North Korea, Chinese Laundering Networks