Iran Crypto Volume Hits $7.78B as IRGC Controls Half of Market
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Darius Baruo
Jan 15, 2026 15:54
Chainalysis data shows Iran’s crypto ecosystem reached $7.78B in 2025, with IRGC-linked addresses controlling 50% of activity. Bitcoin withdrawals surge during protests.
Iran’s cryptocurrency ecosystem swelled to $7.78 billion in 2025, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now controlling roughly half of all on-chain activity, according to new blockchain intelligence from Chainalysis. The data paints a picture of crypto serving dual purposes: a sanctions evasion tool for the regime and a financial escape hatch for ordinary citizens watching their currency collapse. IRGC Tightens Grip on Crypto Flows The numbers are stark. IRGC-associated wallet addresses received over $3 billion in 2025, up from $2 billion the prior year. By Q4 2025, these addresses represented more than 50% of Iran’s total crypto volume—a steady climb that mirrors the paramilitary organization’s expanding stranglehold on the broader Iranian economy. These figures likely undercount the true scope. Chainalysis notes they only include addresses identified through OFAC sanctions designations and Israel’s counter-terror financing bureau. Shell companies, unidentified facilitators, and laundering networks remain unmapped. Earlier this month, a separate report found the IRGC moved $1 billion through UK-registered crypto exchanges alone. The IRGC’s crypto operations extend well beyond Iran’s borders. Linked addresses facilitate commodity transfers, illicit oil sales, arms shipments to proxy militias across the Middle East, and systematic sanctions evasion through what Treasury designated in September 2025 as an “Iranian shadow crypto banking network.” Crypto Activity Spikes With Conflict Chainalysis identified clear correlations between major political events and surges in on-chain activity. The Kerman bombings in January 2024, which killed nearly 100 people, triggered one spike. Iran’s October 2024 missile strikes against Israel following the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders prompted another. The June 2025 “12-day war” proved particularly revealing. Joint…
Filed under: News - @ January 16, 2026 2:16 am