 | |
| Industry | Blockchain analysis |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014; 11 years ago (2014) |
| Founders | Michael Gronager Jan Møller Jonathan Levin |
| Headquarters | 114 Fifth Avenue. New York City, New York ,United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jonathan Levin, CEO |
Number of employees | 900[1][2] (2023) |
| Website | www |
Chainalysis is an Americanblockchain analysis firm headquartered inNew York City.[3] The company was co-founded by Michael Gronager, Jan Møller and Jonathan Levin in 2014,[4][5] and is the first start-up company dedicated to the business ofBitcoin tracing.[6] It offers compliance and investigation software to analyze the blockchain publicledger, which is primarily used to track virtual currencies.[7] Along with banks and brokers[8] its customers have included the United StatesFederal Bureau of Investigation,Drug Enforcement Administration, and theInternal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, as well as the United Kingdom'sNational Crime Agency.[9]
Chainalysis was formed to be the official investigator of the hack ofcryptocurrency exchangeMt. Gox when Gronager was theCOO ofKraken, which was then employed by the bankruptcy trustee for Mt. Gox to investigate the hack.[10][11] The company was co-founded by Michael Gronager, Jan Møller and Jonathan Levin in 2014.[4]
The company developed proprietary financial crime investigation software which monitors cryptocurrency's public ledger, forming the first full view of transactions on theblockchain.[12][7]
In March 2021, it partnered with crypto compliance company Notabene to comply with theFATF's Travel Rule across jurisdictions.[13] American business publication Fast Company referred to this partnership one of the top 10 most innovative joint ventures of 2022.[14]
In May 2024, Chainalysis moved its regional headquarters for the Southern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa regions to Dubai.[15]
Chainalysis has helped law enforcement recover cryptocurrencies from illegal enterprises, including, in 2020, assisting law enforcement to recover over $1 billion from the take-down of the dark web marketplaceSilk Road.[7][16]
In October 2019, the company helped theUnited States Department of Justice shut down the world'sthen-largest child abuse website.[17]
It also aided in the attribution of seven 2021 cryptocurrency thefts to the North KoreanLazarus Group.[18]
Working with American investigators and the South Korean National Intelligence Service, the company tracked $100 million stolen from a California cryptocurrency firm Harmony to North Korean hackers, who have stolen billions of dollars from banks and cryptocurrency firms, funding its illegal missile program. $1 million of the stolen funds were recovered in April 2023.[19]
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