Crypto World

The 2-Second Crypto Laundering Shockwave

Published

3 weeks ago

12 February 2026

The 2-Second Crypto Laundering Shockwave

Crypto hackers are now moving stolen funds in as little as two seconds after an attack begins. In most cases, they shift assets before victims even disclose the breach.

That is the clearest finding from Global Ledger’s 2025 analysis of 255 crypto hacks worth $4.04 billion.

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Blink and It’s Gone: Crypto Laundering Now Starts Before Disclosure

The speed is striking. According to Global Ledger, 76% of hacks saw funds move before public disclosure, rising to 84.6% in the second half of the year.

How Fast Crypto Hackers Move Stolen Funds. Source: Global Ledger

This means attackers often act before exchanges, analytics firms, or law enforcement can coordinate a response.

However, speed tells only part of the story.

While first transfers are now near-instant, full laundering takes longer.

On average, hackers needed about 10.6 days in the second half of 2025 to reach final deposit points such as exchanges or mixers, up from roughly eight days earlier in the year.

In short, the sprint is faster, but the marathon is slower.

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This shift reflects improved monitoring after disclosure. Once incidents go public, exchanges and blockchain analytics firms label addresses and increase scrutiny.

As a result, attackers break funds into smaller pieces and route them through multiple layers before attempting cash-out.

Hacking Speed Increased, but Crypto Laundering Speed Became Slower. Source: Global Ledger

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Bridges, Mixers, and the Long Road to Cash-Out

Bridges have become the main highway for that process. Nearly half of all stolen funds, about $2.01 billion, moved through cross-chain bridges.

That is more than three times the amount routed via mixers or privacy protocols. In the Bybit case alone, 94.91% of stolen funds flowed through bridges.

At the same time, Tornado Cash regained prominence. The protocol appeared in 41.57% of hacks in 2025. Its usage share jumped sharply in the second half of the year, following sanctions changes cited in the report.

State of Crypto Theft and Money Laundering. Source: Global Ledger

Meanwhile, direct cash-outs to centralized exchanges fell sharply in the second half. DeFi platforms received a rising share of stolen funds. Attackers appear to avoid obvious off-ramps until attention fades.

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Notably, nearly half of all stolen funds remained unspent at the time of analysis. That leaves billions sitting in wallets, potentially waiting for future laundering attempts.

The scale of the problem remains severe. Ethereum accounted for $2.44 billion in losses, or 60.64% of the total.

Overall, $4.04 billion was stolen across 255 incidents.

Yet recovery remains limited. Only about 9.52% of funds were frozen, and 6.52% were returned.

Taken together, the findings show a clear pattern. Attackers now operate at machine speed in the first seconds after a breach.

Defenders respond later, forcing criminals into slower, staged laundering strategies. The race has not ended. It has simply entered a new phase—measured in seconds at the start, and days at the finish.

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Crypto World

Oaktree’s Howard Marks says there’s no systemic problem with private credit

Published

5 minutes ago

5 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Oaktree's Howard Marks says there's no systemic problem with private credit

Howard Marks, co-chairman, Oaktree Capital.

Courtesy David A. Grogan | CNBC

Veteran investor Howard Marks said he doesn’t see a widespread problem brewing in private credit, but warned that the sector’s rapid expansion over the past 15 years could expose weaker lenders when markets eventually turn.

“There’s not a systemic problem with private credit,” Marks, co-chairman and co-founder of Oaktree Capital, said Thursday on CNBC’s “Money Movers.”

The noted investor said that the risk stems from the pace of expansion in direct lending, which has ballooned to a market now exceeding $1 trillion from its early development around 2011.

His comments come as sentiment toward direct lenders has soured following the collapse of auto-related borrowers Tricolor and First Brands. Much of the concern has centered on loans made to software companies as investors worry that artificial intelligence could disrupt those businesses.

“There’s a saying in the banking business that the worst of loans are made in the best of times. We’ve seen 17 years of good times. When the stuff hits the fan, or as Warren Buffett would say, when the tide goes out, we will find out whose credit analysis was discerning, who made fewer software loans to the better company,” Marks said.

The pressure has already begun to show up in fund flows. Investors pulled nearly 8% from Blackstone Inc.’s flagship private credit fund in the most recent quarter, highlighting growing caution among allocators.

Marks said it’s impossible to predict when exactly the cycle will turn.

“The things that affect the investment world so profoundly are the things that were not foreseen,” Marks said. “If they could be foreseen … anticipated and adjusted to and factored into prices, they wouldn’t have that cataclysmic effect.”

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Crypto World

Ethereum Taps $2.2K as Traders Brace for a Potential Trend Change

Published

11 minutes ago

5 March 2026

NewsAdmin

Ethereum Taps $2.2K as Traders Brace for a Potential Trend Change

Market analysts said Ether’s (ETH) uptrend was confirmed after the latest 25% recovery to $2,200 from its multi-year lows below $1,800.

Key takeaways:

Ether rose to $2,200 on Wednesday, as onchain data shows signs of returning demand.
ETH price support around $2,100 remains key for the bulls to hold.

Ether sellers are “losing control”

Ether’s net taker volume suggests that “sellers may be losing control” as demand for ETH derivatives returned, data from CryptoQuant shows.

Net taker volume, a metric that measures the imbalance between buyers and sellers in derivatives markets, has flipped positive after being in negative territory for nearly two months.

This negative regime coincided with the bear market drawdown, indicating sustained aggressive selling across derivatives markets.

“The latest prints show flows starting to turn positive, suggesting that seller dominance may be fading,” CryptoQuant analyst MorenoDV_ said in a recent Quicktake post, adding:

“Historically, shifts from prolonged negative taker pressure toward positive territory often precede short covering rallies and liquidity-driven rebounds, particularly after periods of forced selling.”

*ETH: Net taker volume. Source: CryptoQuant*

The return in ETH demand is also reflected by Ether’s Coinbase Premium Index, which has risen to levels last seen in December 2025.

After being negative for several months, the index has flipped positive, pointing to a return in demand from US investors, which could propel the ETH price higher.

“This indicates that US buying pressure remains positive,” CryptoQuant analyst CW8900 said, adding:

“If the Coinbase premium rises further, the rally will accelerate.”

*Ether Coinbase premium index. Source: CryptoQuant*

Meanwhile, demand for spot Ether ETFs continues to recover, with these investment products recording $169.4 million in inflows on Wednesday. This shows the return of demand from institutional investors.

*Spot ETH ETFs flows table. Source: Farside Investors*

ETH traders anticipate a price rebound

Ether’s latest breakout must, however, not pull back below the $1,750 mark, according to analysts.

Trader and analyst Crypto Patel said that the $1,750 support must hold for “bulls to stay in control,” with the upside target set at “$2,500-$2,600.

“Lose $1,750 and bears take over again.”

*ETH/USD daily chart. Source: Crypto Patel*

Commenting on Ether’s Thursday push above $2,000, analyst Bren said a “larger bounce above $2,200 is likely.”

Meanwhile, Man of Bitcoin said that a successful retest of $2,100 support after the current retracement could open the path to $3,400 or higher.

As Cointelegraph reported, a daily candlestick close above $2,100 will revive the hopes of a recovery toward the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) at $2,381. A break above this level will mean that the corrective phase may be over.