Chainalysis is a blockchain data platform that provides software, services, and research to government agencies, financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and cybersecurity companies. The company's platform is designed to analyze blockchain transactions to provide actionable insights for investigation, compliance, and market intelligence, with a stated mission of building trust in the digital asset ecosystem. [1][2]
Overview
Chainalysis was established to address the challenges and risks associated with the transparency and complexity of public blockchains. The company's core business revolves around de-anonymizing blockchain transactions by linking digital currency addresses to real-world entities. This process helps organizations manage risk, deter illicit activity, and operate safely within regulatory frameworks. The platform ingests vast amounts of raw blockchain data and enriches it with proprietary heuristics and third-party information to create a structured, usable dataset. This data powers a suite of tools that serve various functions, from tracing the flow of illicit funds for law enforcement to helping cryptocurrency businesses comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. [1]
The company's offerings are utilized by both public and private sector clients to navigate the digital asset landscape. For government bodies, including law enforcement, regulators, and tax agencies, the tools provide the means to investigate crypto-related crime, enforce sanctions, and develop informed policy. For private enterprises such as banks, exchanges, and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, the platform offers solutions for risk management, fraud prevention, and compliance automation. Chainalysis also contributes to the broader industry's understanding of the cryptocurrency ecosystem through extensive research and publications, including annual reports on crypto crime and global adoption trends. [1]
Products
Reactor
Reactor is Chainalysis’s blockchain investigation software developed to help institutions trace and analyze cryptocurrency transactions. The platform provides a unified workflow for tracking digital assets across multiple blockchains, supporting use cases such as compliance monitoring, fraud detection, and law enforcement investigations.
Comprehensive Tracking: Enables users to follow assets from initial lead to case closure across various blockchain networks.
Data Visualization: Presents blockchain activity through clear, interactive visualizations to simplify complex investigations.
Entity Identification: Connects over 134,000 real-world counterparties, organizations, and services with verified attribution.
Integrated Intelligence: Combines blockchain data, open-source intelligence (OSINT), proprietary datasets such as Signals, and AI-driven analytics. [3]
KYT (Know Your Transaction)
KYT is Chainalysis’s transaction monitoring platform designed to assess the risk of incoming and outgoing cryptocurrency transfers. It supports compliance programs by identifying suspicious activity and enabling proactive risk management.
Risk Assessment: Traces sources and destinations of potentially illicit transactions and supports actions such as freezing funds.
Operational Efficiency: Automates transaction risk evaluations to streamline compliance workflows and reduce costs.
Regulatory Compliance: Integrates monitoring tools to maintain adherence to legal and regulatory standards.
Data-Driven Insights: Utilizes proprietary architecture to analyze transaction data at scale, applying clustering heuristics and verified intelligence.
Real-Time Alerts: Notifies users of high-risk activity, including exposure to sanctioned entities, with customizable risk settings and behavioral alerts. [6]
Address Screening
Address Screening is a Chainalysis solution designed to identify and block high-risk cryptocurrency wallets and liquidity pools, helping organizations maintain compliance and secure their platforms.
Platform Security: Prevents engagement with illicit or high-risk actors.
Liquidity Pool Assessment: Provides advanced risk evaluation and monitoring for pools and addresses.
Real-Time Monitoring: Enables both automated and manual screening for immediate risk insights.
Compliance Assurance: Supports adherence to regulatory standards by detecting sanctioned, scam, or darknet-associated addresses. [8]
VASP Risking
VASP Risking is a Chainalysis tool designed to provide continuous monitoring and risk assessment of virtual asset service providers (VASPs). It helps organizations evaluate exposure, maintain compliance, and make informed decisions when engaging with crypto partners. [7]
Sentinel
Ecosystem Monitoring: Tracks transactions and analyzes activity across over 35 risk categories.
Illicit Activity Mitigation: Identifies and allows intervention on tokens interacting with high-risk or illicit sources.
Compliance Support: Helps enforce regulatory standards and prevent illegal activity.
Proactive Alerts: Enables organizations to integrate transfer alerts into workflows for timely responses to suspicious activity.
Sentinel is used by token issuers and platforms to enhance transparency, security, and regulatory adherence within their token ecosystems. [9]
Hexagate
Hexagate is a blockchain security platform developed by Chainalysis that provides real-time on-chain protection against exploits, phishing attempts, and governance attacks.
Financial Loss Prevention: Detects and stops fraudulent transactions and attacks before they impact assets.
Automated Security: Uses pre-built monitors and automated responses to mitigate threats without manual intervention.
Comprehensive Visibility: Monitors smart contracts, protocols, and token flows to identify vulnerabilities and suspicious activity in real time.
Seamless Deployment: Offers out-of-the-box security for protocols, exchanges, and asset managers without modifying smart contracts or disrupting operations. [11]
Alterya
Alterya is a Chainalysis platform designed to detect and prevent cryptocurrency fraud, including authorized push-payment (APP) scams, using AI-powered threat intelligence.
Key features include:
Fraud Prevention: Identifies and blocks potentially fraudulent transactions before funds leave customer accounts.
Business Optimization: Reduces false declines of legitimate transactions, supporting higher approval rates.
Customer Trust: Protects users from scams, enhancing platform reliability and user confidence.
Regulatory Compliance: Helps organizations meet regulatory standards for managing fraud and financial risk. [10]
Wallet Scan
Wallet Scan is a Chainalysis tool designed to help investigators identify cryptocurrency assets linked to recovery seed phrases. The platform enables users to analyze seed phrases for associated wallets, balances, transaction history, and potential exposure to illicit activity across multiple blockchains.
Seed Phrase Analysis: Detects and maps all wallets connected to a given recovery seed.
Asset Discovery: Identifies balances and transaction activity across supported blockchain networks.
Illicit Exposure Screening: Flags connections to high-risk or sanctioned addresses.
Rapid Assessment: Performs comprehensive scans within minutes to support time-sensitive investigations. [4]
Rapid
Rapid is an AI-powered cryptocurrency triage platform developed by Chainalysis to assist investigators in quickly identifying links between crypto addresses, criminal activity, and real-world entities. It provides actionable insights without requiring advanced blockchain expertise.
Address Lookup: Instantly reveals ownership details, transaction history, and cross-chain fund movements.
AI-Powered Triage: Converts complex blockchain data into clear, plain-language summaries.
Risk Prioritization: Displays suspicious activity levels and case difficulty to guide investigative focus.
Streamlined Escalation: Enables users to forward priority cases to analysts with full contextual data. [5]
Chainalysis Data Solutions (DS)
Chainalysis Data Solutions (DS) is a customizable threat monitoring and automation platform that provides comprehensive blockchain intelligence. It enables organizations to monitor threat actors, identify targets, and automate investigative and analytical workflows at scale. The platform serves law enforcement by tracking ransomware, narcotics trafficking, and nation-state actors, while automating investigation workflows. [12]
Services and Training
Global Services
Chainalysis Global Services provides organizations with expertise and tools to enhance intelligence, mitigate risks, and address illicit activity across blockchain networks. The service combines global coverage with local insights through a team of over 120 experts fluent in more than 15 languages, offering tailored guidance across law enforcement, regulatory, and financial sectors. Specialists bring extensive experience in areas including cybercrime, sanctions evasion, and cryptocurrency investigations. Global Services supports organizations by building capacity through targeted training and industry-recognized certifications, equipping teams to handle complex investigations, trace assets, and address high-priority cases. It also enables actionable intelligence by leveraging Chainalysis data to detect threats, prioritize risks, and disrupt illicit activity, while helping institutions establish Centers of Excellence for sustained, intelligence-led operations. [13]
Chainalysis Certification Programs
Chainalysis offers certification programs for professionals in investigation, compliance, and blockchain analysis:
Cryptocurrency Fundamentals Certification (CCFC): Provides foundational knowledge for newcomers to cryptocurrency, including investigations, compliance, and onboarding.
Chainalysis Reactor Certification (CRC): Trains practitioners to trace and analyze Bitcoin transactions using the Reactor platform in a two-day, in-person format.
KYT Certification (CKC): Equips users to apply compliance workflows with Chainalysis Know Your Transaction.
Asset Seizure Certification: Teaches law enforcement and public sector agencies to manage cryptocurrency asset seizures.
Investigation Specialist Certification (CISC): Advanced training for Reactor power users, focusing on obfuscation techniques and complex investigative workflows.
Ethereum Investigations Certification (CEIC): Designed for Reactor users to conduct investigations and enhanced due diligence on Ethereum transactions.
Risk and Regulation Training (CRRT): Guides participants in applying risk-based approaches to cryptocurrency compliance and oversight. [14][15]
Use Cases and Clients
Target Industries
Law Enforcement: Agencies use the tools to detect, disrupt, and deter crypto-related crime by tracing illicit funds from activities like ransomware, darknet market sales, and terrorism financing.
Regulators: Financial regulators and government agencies use the platform to monitor the digital asset ecosystem, protect consumers, establish safe markets, and maintain financial stability.
Tax Agencies: Tax authorities utilize the software to administer, implement, and enforce tax policies for digital assets by identifying taxable events and investigating tax evasion.
Financial Institutions: Banks and other traditional financial firms use Chainalysis to manage the risks associated with offering digital asset services and to ensure compliance with existing financial regulations.
Centralized Exchanges:Cryptocurrency exchanges use the compliance tools to monitor transactions, fulfill AML/KYC obligations, and protect their platforms from illicit actors.
Cybersecurity: Firms in this sector use the platform for proactive threat hunting, incident response, and preventing financial losses from hacks and exploits.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi):DeFi projects integrate Chainalysis solutions to enhance security, monitor for illicit activity, and build trust with users and regulators.
Consumer Brands: Companies entering the Web3 space use the tools to ensure a secure transition and protect their brand and customers from fraud and scams.
Notable clients and partners listed by the company include Coinbase, Kraken, BBVA, the IRS, BNY Mellon, Crypto.com, MoonPay, Fireblocks, Tether, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). [1]