Sanctions evasions using crypto increased by 700% in 2025: Chainalysis
Russia, Iran and North Korea expanded their use of stablecoins, hacked funds and state-linked exchanges to move more than $100 billion onchain to evade international sanctions.
North Korea
He Gave a Cryptocurrency Talk in North Korea
JP Morgan’s Quorum blockchain powers new correspondent banking network ” Banking Technology”. Joon Ian Wong (4 December 2017). “The Ethereum network is getting jammed up because people are rushing to buy cartoon cats on its blockchain”. Hackett, Robert (4 October 2016). “Why J.P. Morgan Chase Is Building a Blockchain on Ethereum”. Tosato, Andrea; Odinet, Christopher K. (2025). “Crypto and the […]
The Protocol: EigenLayer Ready to Launch Missing Feature
Also: Bitcoin L2 SDKs; North Korea’s THORChain Use; and Quantum-Resistant BTC
U.S. Shuts Down North Korean Crypto Money Laundering Network
OFAC says a front company in the UAE had been converting crypto into cash for North Korea.
Radiant Capital Says North Korean Hackers Behind $50 Million Attack in October
Hackers gained access to a developer’s computer by posing as a former contractor.
The DPRK’s Deep Roots in Crypto
Last week, CoinDesk’s Sam Kessler reported that developers and IT workers employed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – i.e. North Korea – had managed to get themselves hired by a number of crypto projects, giving them two different ways of raising funds for the national regime.
The Protocol: Inside North Korea’s Campaign to Put Crypto Developers on Payroll
In this week’s issue of CoinDesk’s weekly blockchain tech newsletter, we’ve got names, details and anecdotes on crypto companies’ unwitting hires of North Korean developers. PLUS month-end rankings for bitcoin, ether and other digital assets in the CoinDesk 20 index during a strangely bullish September.
WazirX Hacker Moves $11M Stolen Ether to Tornado Cash
The hacker, widely suspected to be an entity from North Korea, moved $6 million in stolen funds for the first time last week.
WazirX Co-Founder Nischal Shetty Says All Options Are on the Table for Fund Recovery
Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX’s co-founder Nischal Shetty told CoinDesk that outreach efforts to different exchanges “are going to be crucial,” as it remains open to “everything that is possible to help solve this situation.”
Cambodian Payments Firm Received $150K From North Korean Hackers Lazarus Wallet: Reuters
The crypto was stolen by Lazarus hackers from three crypto companies in June and July last year.