Research: The scale of crypto assets linked to illicit activities and within reach of law enforcement has exceeded $75 billion, prompting other countries to consider following the United States in asset seizure.

On October 9th, according to Bloomberg, research by Chainalysis indicates that more than $75 billion in cryptocurrency assets are related to illicit activities and are "on-chain" and within the reach of law enforcement agencies in various countries. Various governments may consider following the example of the US in using seizures as reserves. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bennett stated in August that the US currently has seized about $15 to $20 billion worth of Bitcoin. Chainalysis found that as of 2025, the on-chain balances of illicit entities are almost $15 billion, and downstream wallets (with at least 10% of funds coming from crime) hold more than $60 billion. Cryptocurrency controlled by darknet market administrators and vendors exceeds $40 billion, of which $15 billion is directly held by illicit actors, and Bitcoin accounts for approximately 75%. Along with Ethereum and stablecoins, this has increased by 259% compared to five years ago. Downstream wallets also show a similar trend, with wallets related to the darknet having a compound annual growth rate of over 200%. However, the ability of authorities to access this $75 billion is in question. Although there has been a significant increase in law enforcement efforts to combat cryptocurrency crime in recent years, the skills, international cooperation, and funding required to identify, track, and seize criminals' digital assets continue to pose challenges.