Crypto Crime Was Rife in 2024 Despite It Being a Landmark Year for Institutional Adoption

Despite it being a landmark year for institutional adoption, crypto crime was rife in 2024.

Crypto crime remained prevalent in 2024 despite it being a landmark year for institutional adoption, according to a report by blockchain security firm Chainalysis.

The firm estimates that $40 billion was received by illicit addresses throughout the year. To put that in perspective, the total is an estimation that will rise throughout 2025 as more details around historical crimes emerge. The illicit crypto in question can be attributed to scams, malware, fraud or dark net activities.

The 2023 figures were able to be determined in more detail, with the year's total ending at $46.1 billion. However, Chainalysis expects 2024's total to exceed that when all crime is accounted for with an estimated total of $51.3 billion.

The total also excludes revenue from non-crypto native crime such as drug trafficking or money laundering, where crypto is used as a means of payment, the report added.

The year also saw the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs which prompted a wave of institutional volume, this brings down the ratio of crypto crime volume to industry-wide volume, with illicit transactions accounting for 0.14% of all crypto transactions compared to 0.61% in 2023.

Criminals are also changing their habits when it comes to sending illicit funds; in 2021 around 70% of all illicit transactions involved bitcoin BTCUSD, that has now flipped to be dominated by stablecoins. BTC now accounts for around 20% of all illicit transactions whilst stablecoins occupy the majority with 63%.

The report highlights the increasing use of stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) by criminals, shifting away from BTC as the primary cryptocurrency for illicit activity. This transition coincides with the growing acceptance of stablecoins in mainstream financial markets.

The report also noted the role of privacy coin monero (XMR), which is frequently used on darknet markets, and altcoins, which comprised about 10% of all illicit transactions.

It's worth noting that the 2025 figures may be skewed to include ether ETHUSD due to February's $1.5 billion hack on Bybit, which is the largest single crypto theft to date.