Sanctions Evasion
US official: North Korea stole over $2B in crypto last year to fund weapons
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Building on a Chainalysis report documenting $2.02 billion in 2025 cryptocurrency thefts by North Korean hackers, a U.S. State Department official told a U.N. meeting that Pyongyang likely stole more than $2 billion last year to support its nuclear and missile programs. The figure aligns with Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team findings of over $1.6 billion stolen from January to September 2025.
The Financial Action Task Force has issued a report highlighting stablecoins as the primary vehicle for illicit cryptocurrency transactions, accounting for the majority of suspicious volumes in recent years. The watchdog points to their use by actors in sanctioned countries like Iran and North Korea for sanctions evasion and money laundering. It calls for enhanced regulatory measures to address these risks.
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Building on late-2025 reports of record $2.7 billion in cryptocurrency heists, illicit addresses received at least $154 billion in 2025—a 162% year-over-year increase—according to the introduction to Chainalysis's 2026 Crypto Crime Report, published January 8, 2026. The surge was driven by a 694% rise in funds to sanctioned entities, with growth across most illicit categories even excluding that factor. The report emphasizes the professionalization of crypto crime, including nation-state involvement and specialized laundering services.