{"id":93622,"date":"2026-01-27T20:19:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=93622"},"modified":"2026-01-27T20:20:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:20:25","slug":"chainalysis-highlights-dominance-of-chinese-networks-in-laundering-82-billion-via-cryptocurrencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/chainalysis-highlights-dominance-of-chinese-networks-in-laundering-82-billion-via-cryptocurrencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Chainalysis Highlights Dominance of Chinese Networks in Laundering $82 Billion via Cryptocurrencies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The volume of money laundering through cryptocurrencies surged from $10 billion to $82 billion between 2020 and 2025. Chinese-language networks (<span data-descr=\"Chinese-language Money Laundering Networks \u2014 \u043a\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u044f\u0437\u044b\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0441\u0435\u0442\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u043e\u0442\u043c\u044b\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044e \u0434\u0435\u043d\u0435\u0433\" class=\"old_tooltip\">CMLN<\/span>) dominate this figure with a 20% share, noted Chainalysis.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In the next preview chapter of our 2026 Crypto Crime Report, we examine how Chinese-language money laundering networks processed $16.1 billion in illicit crypto funds in 2025 (about $44 million per day across 1,799+ active wallets).<\/p>\n<p>Read the full analysis here:\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0Jla3ce5X1\">pic.twitter.com\/0Jla3ce5X1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chainalysis (@chainalysis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chainalysis\/status\/2016131602158440499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThis significant growth reflects the expanded availability and liquidity of digital assets, as well as a fundamental shift in how and through whom this laundering activity occurs,\u201d noted the analysts from the company.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to them, operating through Telegram and other messengers, CLMN have rapidly taken leading positions among other schemes for \u201cwhitening\u201d illicit online revenues. The influx into these structures increased 7,325 times over five years compared to laundering volumes through centralized crypto exchanges and 1,810 times compared to DeFi protocols.<\/p>\n<p>This is largely due to CLMN&#8217;s ability to scale quickly, experts believe. In 2025, Chinese-language platforms processed $16.1 billion through 1,799 active wallets \u2014 approximately $44 million per day.<\/p>\n<p>CLMN is closely linked to international financial flows and the need to circumvent sanctions. Part of the liquidity comes through mechanisms for capital withdrawal from countries with strict control regulations, including China.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Infrastructure for Laundering<\/h2>\n<p>Chainalysis analysts described CLMN as integrated ecosystems comprising multiple links that ensure transaction fragmentation, exchange functions, distribution, and integration of funds into legal channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The main component of the networks is <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/telegrams-attempt-to-block-huione-proves-ineffective-says-trm-labs\">Guarantee-platforms<\/a> like Huione and Xinbi. They provide marketplace services, offering participants in the segment the necessary infrastructure for asset escrow and trust mechanisms. These services do not directly participate in money laundering, allowing them to maintain the appearance of legitimate operations and openly promote themselves.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-fd6687c87dfaa629-4750140870596852.webp\" alt=\"image\" class=\"wp-image-274101\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshots with promotional posts of platforms. Source: Chainalysis.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chainalysis identified six main types of CLMN:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201claunch point\u201d brokers \u2014 typically rent bank accounts and wallets from individuals to organize asset flows to exchanges;<\/li>\n<li>\u201cmoney mule\u201d networks \u2014 conceal the origin of funds by moving them through a network of accounts, including cross-border transfers;<\/li>\n<li>shadow <span data-descr=\"\u0432\u043d\u0435\u0431\u0438\u0440\u0436\u0435\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0442\u043e\u0440\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043b\u044f\" class=\"old_tooltip\">OTC<\/span> services \u2014 exchange assets without verifying origin and client verification;<\/li>\n<li>Black U platforms \u2014 purchase knowingly illegal cryptocurrency at a discount;<\/li>\n<li>gambling providers \u2014 legalize funds through gambling;<\/li>\n<li>mixers \u2014 operate similarly to well-known protocols like <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-tornado-cash-mixer-and-why-was-it-sanctioned\">Tornado Cash<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/blender-io-mixer-sanctioned-by-the-united-states\">Blender<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Back in 2025, Chainalysis analysts <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/illegal-crypto-transactions-surge-by-162-over-the-year\">estimated the total turnover of illegal crypto assets at $154 billion<\/a>. This figure increased by 162% compared to the previous period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The volume of money laundering through cryptocurrencies surged from $10 billion to $82 billion between 2020 and 2025. Chinese-language networks (CMLN) dominate this figure with a 20% share, noted Chainalysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Chainalysis notes Chinese networks' dominance in laundering $82 billion via cryptocurrencies.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[274,1154,44,1252],"class_list":["post-93622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-chainalysis","tag-crimes","tag-cybercrime","tag-reports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"175","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Chainalysis notes Chinese networks' dominance in laundering $82 billion via cryptocurrencies.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93624,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93622\/revisions\/93624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}