August 18, 2021
Publication: Forkast News
The shutdown of a darknet blockchain analytics tool, Antinalysis, marks the ongoing showdown between malicious actors looking to launder their illicit digital assets, and the exchanges and law enforcement looking to stop them. Kobre & Kim’s Benjamin Sauter shared his thoughts on the future of these analytics tools when he sat down with Forkast News.
Antinalysis and other blockchain analytics tools allow users to check their bitcoin wallets for links to illicit activities that may be flagged by regulated exchanges and reported to law enforcement. This can allow crypto launderers to know how to fly under the radar when attempting to cash in their funds.
Despite the shuttering of Antinalysis, Mr. Sauter believes more will appear in the future: “Some [blockchain analytic tools] are going to be marketed and sold, and they don’t necessarily need to be on the darknet. There are going to be financial incentives to do that. I would expect that you will increasingly see blockchain analytics tools become publicly available.”