Chainalysis launches blockchain intelligence agents as crypto crime demands faster response

Chainalysis to Add 'Blockchain Intelligence' Agents to Platform

The analytics platform said it would begin rolling out the agents over the summer for use in investigations and compliance. Chainalysis is introducing blockchain intelligence agents which the analytics platform expects will provide investigative skills to users seeking AI solutions. In a Tuesday announcement at the Chainalysis Links conference in New York City, the company said the "blockchain intelligence agents" differ from typical AI tools based on language models, likening them to an "experienced analyst working at machine speed." The company expects to phase in the agents this summer in an effort for companies to scale their approach to cryptocurrencies. "We're starting where we know we can have the most impact: investigations and compliance," co-founder and CEO Jonathan Levin wrote on the company's blog. "As bad actors increasingly leverage AI to scale their operations, it's critical that those working to stop them do the same." The company's move follows a similar one by TRM Labs, which last week launched "AI investigative assistants" for users looking to trace funds, run audits and conduct investigations for crypto-related crimes. Chainalysis said it had already used the AI agents in early development for similar investigations and intelligence gathering. Related: Vietnam arrests ONUS-linked suspects in alleged crypto fraud case Earlier this year, Chainalysis reported the number of ransomware attacks rose by 50% in 2025. However, payments associated with those attacks in the same year declined by 8% from those in 2024, from $892 million to $820 million, marking an 8% decrease from 2024.

AI Agents Promise Faster Investigations as Crypto Crime Hits New Highs | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. And that dynamic reality of ever-escalating 10-foot walls and 11-foot ladders gets a shot in the arm when applied across the cryptocurrency and blockchain finance landscape. Crypto-related crime, after all, has grown more sophisticated, and increasingly, more automated. Fraud networks, laundering schemes, and illicit marketplaces are beginning to leverage AI to scale their operations. But the Tuesday (March 31) announcement that blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis is launching blockchain intelligence agents designed for fraud prevention shows that the industry's response to AI-driven crypto fraud and bot attacks is one that, inevitably, must be symmetrical. Agentic blockchain defenses are not innovation for efficiency's sake. They are defensive escalation. If bad actors can use artificial intelligence to accelerate activity, enforcement and compliance must use AI to compress detection and response times, meaning tasks that once took days should now take minutes, and investigations that required specialists must be executable by broader teams. The Chainalysis agents, per the company's release, are not merely incremental upgrades to existing analytics tools. They could represent a structural shift in how organizations interact with blockchain intelligence, making the process less like querying a database and more like collaborating with a specialized analyst that never sleeps. See also: Global Stablecoin Boom Draws Regulators Into the Fight Against Fraud One of crypto's defining challenges is that it is transparent but not easily interpretable. All transactions are public, yet understanding them requires specialized tools and expertise. Extracting meaningful insights required trained investigators fluent in both crypto mechanics and investigative workflows. The barrier to entry was high, and the supply of talent limited. If realized, the agentic approach being launched by Chainalysis could mark a significant redistribution of analytical power. Compliance officers, executives, and even non-technical stakeholders could access insights previously reserved for trained investigators. Reports that once took hours could be generated on demand. Alerts could be enriched, triaged and in some cases resolved automatically. The company's emphasis on audit trails and evidence standards suggests an awareness that adoption will hinge not on novelty, but on trust. See also: Crypto Thefts Reached $3.4 Billion in 2025 Chainalysis is not alone in pursuing agentic approaches to blockchain analysis. Competitors such as TRM Labs and Elliptic are introducing similar systems that leverage natural language interfaces and machine learning to simplify investigations and detect illicit patterns. What distinguishes these efforts is not the presence of AI, but the depth of integration between AI and domain-specific infrastructure. The most effective systems are those that can translate abstract queries into precise, multi-chain analyses while maintaining context about compliance requirements and investigative norms. Against this backdrop, new research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that businesses that want to use stablecoins are more interested in working with banks than with crypto wallets. Those wallets, while efficient, "introduce unfamiliar risks: private key management, fragmented reporting, uncertain custody standards and evolving regulatory interpretations," PYMNTS wrote last week. "Banks, by contrast, provide a trust layer that CFOs already understand." If Chainalysis and its peers succeed, crypto will not become less complex. But it may become manageable enough for the world's largest financial actors to participate at scale.