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Project Overview
TRM is a provider of crypto compliance and risk management solutions that helps financial institutions, cryptocurrency businesses, and public agencies detect, investigate, and manage crypto-related fraud and financial crime. Its risk management platform includes solutions for cryptocurrency anti-money laundering (AML), transaction monitoring and wallet screening, entity risk scoring including Know-Your-VASP, and transaction tracing for investigations. These tools enable a rapidly growing number of organizations around the world to safely embrace cryptocurrency-related transactions, products, and partnerships.
Arbitrum Activates ArbOS 61 Elara Upgrade, Introducing Optional Compliance Filtering and Priority Fee Support for Dedicated Chains
According to The Defiant, Arbitrum officially activated the ArbOS 61 Elara upgrade on August 20, which was approved for deployment via an ArbitrumDAO governance vote. The core features of this upgrade include: introducing an optional protocol-level transaction filtering mechanism for Dedicated Chains, allowing chain owners to independently select external compliance service providers such as TRM Labs and Chainalysis to configure restricted address rules; the filter is disabled by default and does not affect existing Arbitrum One users; adding Priority Fee support, also disabled by default, with its activation on Arbitrum One still requiring a separate DAO constitutional vote; introducing the BaseFeeManager contract, which authorizes Offchain Labs to adjust the L2 minimum Gas fee within a DAO-approved range of 0.01 to 0.10 gwei over a two-year authorization period; additionally, the maximum code size limit for Stylus contracts has been increased from 24 KB to 96 KB, though this does not apply to Solidity contracts.
Chainalysis Files Lawsuit Over ICE Awarding $94.6 Million Contract to TRM Labs
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, challenging the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) award of an approximately $94.6 million blockchain forensics software and support services contract to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract term is from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, for investigations related to the Homeland Security Special Operations Group.
Chainalysis sues U.S. government over ICE's $94.6 million contract awarded to TRM Labs
blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, opposing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) decision to award a contract worth approximately $94.6 million to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract, covering the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, involves blockchain forensics software and support services for Homeland Security task forces investigating fraud, cybercrime, and sextortion cases. Chainalysis argues that ICE's decision was arbitrary and unreasonable. TRM Labs joined the case as an intervenor-defendant on July 28, defending the contract alongside the U.S. government. The court has allowed Chainalysis to temporarily seal its complaint, with oral arguments scheduled for September 2. ICE stated that after approximately six days of market research, it determined that none of the eight responding companies could meet the requirements. (Decrypt)
MiCA implementation: only about 20% of European crypto service providers authorized, 281 approved
Odaily News According to a report by blockchain compliance analysis firm TRM Labs, following the full implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), only 281 of the original 1,343 crypto asset service providers applied for and received operating authorization, accounting for roughly one-fifth. Among the more than 1,800 crypto organizations previously registered in Poland, none obtained MiCA authorization; in Lithuania, only 8 of more than 400 received approval. Germany's regulator BaFin authorized 55 entities, while French and Dutch regulators each licensed 29. TRM Labs' assessments show that among firms that failed to obtain authorization and exited the market, 12% were rated as high-risk or severe-risk, compared to 2% among authorized firms. The former sent $5 billion to sanctioned counterparties, while the latter sent $1.7 billion. The report notes that unauthorized firms' sanctions exposure is approximately four times that of authorized firms. MiCA has also raised concerns about restricted access to stablecoins in Europe, and the EU is planning a comprehensive framework revision to address stablecoin issues and bring tokenized assets under regulatory scope. (Bitcoin.com News)
Singapore police and cryptocurrency exchanges have prevented over 145 potential scam victims from losing more than $4.2 million
The Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Centre and Cybercrime Department, in a six-week joint anti-scam operation from April 16 to May 31, 2026, collaborated with Coinbase, Coinhako, Gemini, Independent Reserve, OKX, StraitsX, and Upbit. Using blockchain analysis tools from Chainalysis and TRM Labs, they identified potential scam victims and conducted over 145 targeted interventions via phone and in-person visits, preventing potential losses exceeding $4.2 million. Coinbase Singapore stated in a post on X on July 10 that it worked with the Singapore police to prevent over 145 individuals from losing a combined total of more than $4.2 million due to scams. The Singapore Police Force stated that it will continue to work with cryptocurrency exchanges and other private sector entities to combat cybercrime. (Bitcoin.com News).
Thailand Issues Arrest Warrant for Chinese Businessman Allegedly Involved in "Pig Butchering" Scam and Illegal Crypto Mining Money Laundering Worth Billions of Dollars
The Thai government has officially issued an arrest warrant for Chinese businessman Wang Yicheng, accusing him of colluding with transnational criminal syndicates to launder billions of dollars through illegal cryptocurrency "mining" activities on behalf of cross-border internet fraud and online gambling syndicates. Reuters, citing an investigation by blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, reported that Wang Yicheng's cryptocurrency wallet received at least $9.1 million (approximately HKD 71.35 million) between 2021 and 2022, with funds linked to "pig butchering" scams.Thailand's Special Investigation Department stated in a statement that U.S. law enforcement agencies have confirmed Wang Yicheng's involvement in a digital asset fraud case. The U.S. side had previously traced the flow of stolen funds from a victim in Massachusetts to an account registered under Wang Yicheng's name and seized approximately $500,000 worth of cryptocurrency. (Lianhe Zaobao)
Coldcard hack losses estimated at 1,816 BTC, CryptoQuant confirms 1,432
Odaily News: Hardware wallet Coldcard has suffered a hack, with no confirmed total loss amount yet. Blockchain analytics platform CryptoQuant has confirmed losses of 1,432 BTC, while Galaxy Research places a high-confidence minimum estimate at 1,730 BTC. Other analyses suggest the scale of losses could be even higher. Research firm Galaxy Research stated that its earlier estimate of 1,816 BTC represents a potential figure, not a confirmed total. As of Tuesday, the firm's confirmed high-confidence minimum loss stands at 1,730 BTC, with over 450 BTC directly confirmed based on victim reports. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs estimates that the attacker moved approximately 1,816 BTC from more than 5,200 addresses in four phases. CryptoQuant stated that its confirmed figures only include addresses publicly disclosed by victims and verified through on-chain patterns, meaning the tally could rise as more victims come forward with information. (Cointelegraph)
Thailand Issues Arrest Warrant for Chinese Businessman Allegedly Involved in "Pig Butchering" Scam and Illegal Crypto Mining Money Laundering Worth Billions of Dollars
The Thai government has officially issued an arrest warrant for Chinese businessman Wang Yicheng, accusing him of colluding with transnational criminal syndicates to launder billions of dollars through illegal cryptocurrency "mining" activities on behalf of cross-border internet fraud and online gambling syndicates. Reuters, citing an investigation by blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, reported that Wang Yicheng's cryptocurrency wallet received at least $9.1 million (approximately HKD 71.35 million) between 2021 and 2022, with funds linked to "pig butchering" scams.Thailand's Special Investigation Department stated in a statement that U.S. law enforcement agencies have confirmed Wang Yicheng's involvement in a digital asset fraud case. The U.S. side had previously traced the flow of stolen funds from a victim in Massachusetts to an account registered under Wang Yicheng's name and seized approximately $500,000 worth of cryptocurrency. (Lianhe Zaobao)
Bloomberg: AI threats are increasing, with over half of blockchain attacks in 2025 theoretically automatable by AI
in April 2026, two major DeFi attacks on Drift Protocol and Kelp DAO resulted in losses of nearly $600 million, triggering approximately $9 billion in capital outflows from protocols like Aave. TRM Labs investigator Nick Carlsen stated that a hacker group suspected to be linked to North Korea has allegedly used AI to assist in target selection and attack path design. Failsafe CEO Aneirin Flynn said that AI has compressed the time for discovering blockchain vulnerabilities from months to days or even hours. The report noted that Anthropic has not fully opened its AI model Mythos due to cybersecurity risks, claiming the model has the capability to discover large-scale zero-day vulnerabilities. Its research indicates that over half of blockchain attacks in 2025 could theoretically be completed autonomously by AI. (Bloomberg)
T3 Financial Crime Unit Freezes Over $450 Million in Illicit Crypto Assets
According to The Block, the T3 Financial Crime Unit (T3 FCU), jointly established by Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, announced that since its founding in 2024, it has frozen over $450 million worth of illicit crypto assets globally. In 2025, the unit’s interception of illicit proceeds increased by 43.9% year-on-year, covering 23 jurisdictions including the United States, Spain, and Germany, and has been recognized by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as “a critical resource for global law enforcement agencies.” The T3 FCU has participated in investigations across multiple crime categories, including exchange hacks, North Korea–related activities, terrorist financing, and violent crimes, and assisted Brazil’s Federal Police in freezing over $5.989 billion in assets—including 4.3 million USDT.
North Korea denies involvement in crypto theft allegations, accused of stealing over $570 million this year
North Korea has denied allegations of its involvement in cryptocurrency theft, calling the claims "absurd slander" and a "political tool." The statement, issued by state-run media, emphasized that necessary measures will be taken to safeguard national interests. However, data from blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs shows that in the first four months of 2026, hacker groups linked to North Korea have stolen approximately $577 million, accounting for about 76% of global crypto theft losses during the same period. This includes two major attacks on KelpDAO (approximately $292 million) and Drift Protocol (approximately $285 million).TRM pointed out that the attacks are primarily associated with the Lazarus Group and its sub-organizations. Since 2017, the cumulative scale of crypto theft linked to North Korea has exceeded $6 billion.U.S. and international agencies widely believe that such funds are used to support military and missile programs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department has recently imposed sanctions on relevant individuals and entities, targeting approximately $800 million in illicit fund flows in 2024. (The Block)
North Korean hackers spent months meeting Drift Protocol employees in person before stealing $285 million
North Korean spies spent months conducting multiple in-person meetings with Drift Protocol employees before executing one of the largest social engineering attacks against a crypto protocol, stealing $285 million. According to TRM Labs data, losses attributed to North Korean hackers accounted for 76% of total crypto hack losses in 2026. (CoinDesk)
Arbitrum Activates ArbOS 61 Elara Upgrade, Introducing Optional Compliance Filtering and Priority Fee Support for Dedicated Chains
According to The Defiant, Arbitrum officially activated the ArbOS 61 Elara upgrade on August 20, which was approved for deployment via an ArbitrumDAO governance vote. The core features of this upgrade include: introducing an optional protocol-level transaction filtering mechanism for Dedicated Chains, allowing chain owners to independently select external compliance service providers such as TRM Labs and Chainalysis to configure restricted address rules; the filter is disabled by default and does not affect existing Arbitrum One users; adding Priority Fee support, also disabled by default, with its activation on Arbitrum One still requiring a separate DAO constitutional vote; introducing the BaseFeeManager contract, which authorizes Offchain Labs to adjust the L2 minimum Gas fee within a DAO-approved range of 0.01 to 0.10 gwei over a two-year authorization period; additionally, the maximum code size limit for Stylus contracts has been increased from 24 KB to 96 KB, though this does not apply to Solidity contracts.
Chainalysis Files Lawsuit Over ICE Awarding $94.6 Million Contract to TRM Labs
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, challenging the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) award of an approximately $94.6 million blockchain forensics software and support services contract to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract term is from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, for investigations related to the Homeland Security Special Operations Group.
Chainalysis sues U.S. government over ICE's $94.6 million contract awarded to TRM Labs
blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, opposing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) decision to award a contract worth approximately $94.6 million to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract, covering the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, involves blockchain forensics software and support services for Homeland Security task forces investigating fraud, cybercrime, and sextortion cases. Chainalysis argues that ICE's decision was arbitrary and unreasonable. TRM Labs joined the case as an intervenor-defendant on July 28, defending the contract alongside the U.S. government. The court has allowed Chainalysis to temporarily seal its complaint, with oral arguments scheduled for September 2. ICE stated that after approximately six days of market research, it determined that none of the eight responding companies could meet the requirements. (Decrypt)
TRM Labs: Q1 forecasted market transaction volume reached $3.66 billion, surpassing on-chain gambling’s $1.4 billion for the first time
According to CoinTelegraph, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs released a report forecasting that the on-chain prediction market’s transaction volume for Q1 2026 will reach $3.66 billion—surpassing on-chain gambling’s $1.4 billion for the first time. On-chain gambling achieved a total annual transaction volume of $5.1 billion in 2025, setting a new quarterly record of $1.5 billion in Q4 2025. TRM Labs noted that despite the broader crypto market correction, transaction volumes in both sectors showed no significant decline—largely sustained by the continued activity of loyal user bases. Regarding user composition, “high rollers” accounted for only 6.3% of individual wallets yet generated 91.8% of total transaction volume. Meanwhile, the monthly transaction volume of average bettors grew from $17 million in January 2022 to $188 million in March 2026; the transaction volume of daily gamblers increased twelvefold over the same period, indicating substantial expansion of incremental user groups. From a risk perspective, TRM Labs highlighted differing financial crime risks across the two platform types: gambling platforms face higher money laundering risks, whereas prediction markets are more likely to draw scrutiny over insider trading.
North Korea denies involvement in crypto theft allegations, accused of stealing over $570 million this year
North Korea has denied allegations of its involvement in cryptocurrency theft, calling the claims "absurd slander" and a "political tool." The statement, issued by state-run media, emphasized that necessary measures will be taken to safeguard national interests. However, data from blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs shows that in the first four months of 2026, hacker groups linked to North Korea have stolen approximately $577 million, accounting for about 76% of global crypto theft losses during the same period. This includes two major attacks on KelpDAO (approximately $292 million) and Drift Protocol (approximately $285 million).TRM pointed out that the attacks are primarily associated with the Lazarus Group and its sub-organizations. Since 2017, the cumulative scale of crypto theft linked to North Korea has exceeded $6 billion.U.S. and international agencies widely believe that such funds are used to support military and missile programs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department has recently imposed sanctions on relevant individuals and entities, targeting approximately $800 million in illicit fund flows in 2024. (The Block)
North Korean hackers accounted for 76% of cryptocurrency theft losses in 2026, having stolen over $6 billion cumulatively since 2017.
According to The Block, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs released a report stating that North Korean hacker groups stole approximately $577 million in crypto assets during the first four months of 2026—accounting for 76% of global hacking losses over the same period. All these losses stemmed from two major incidents that occurred in April: KelpDAO was attacked by the TraderTraitor group, resulting in $292 million in losses; and Drift Protocol was compromised by another North Korean sub-group, suffering $285 million in losses. Preparations for the latter attack began as early as March 11, and funds were fully extracted within 12 minutes. The two incidents employed distinct money-laundering pathways: stolen funds from Drift remain largely dormant on Ethereum, whereas funds stolen from KelpDAO were rapidly swapped into BTC via THORChain, with subsequent laundering facilitated by Chinese intermediaries. TRM Labs noted that since 2017, North Korea’s cumulative crypto theft has exceeded $6 billion—and its share of global losses has risen steadily, from less than 10% in 2020 to 64% in 2025.
Related news
Arbitrum Activates ArbOS 61 Elara Upgrade, Introducing Optional Compliance Filtering and Priority Fee Support for Dedicated Chains
According to The Defiant, Arbitrum officially activated the ArbOS 61 Elara upgrade on August 20, which was approved for deployment via an ArbitrumDAO governance vote. The core features of this upgrade include: introducing an optional protocol-level transaction filtering mechanism for Dedicated Chains, allowing chain owners to independently select external compliance service providers such as TRM Labs and Chainalysis to configure restricted address rules; the filter is disabled by default and does not affect existing Arbitrum One users; adding Priority Fee support, also disabled by default, with its activation on Arbitrum One still requiring a separate DAO constitutional vote; introducing the BaseFeeManager contract, which authorizes Offchain Labs to adjust the L2 minimum Gas fee within a DAO-approved range of 0.01 to 0.10 gwei over a two-year authorization period; additionally, the maximum code size limit for Stylus contracts has been increased from 24 KB to 96 KB, though this does not apply to Solidity contracts.
Chainalysis Files Lawsuit Over ICE Awarding $94.6 Million Contract to TRM Labs
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, challenging the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) award of an approximately $94.6 million blockchain forensics software and support services contract to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract term is from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, for investigations related to the Homeland Security Special Operations Group.
Chainalysis sues U.S. government over ICE's $94.6 million contract awarded to TRM Labs
blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, opposing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) decision to award a contract worth approximately $94.6 million to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract, covering the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, involves blockchain forensics software and support services for Homeland Security task forces investigating fraud, cybercrime, and sextortion cases. Chainalysis argues that ICE's decision was arbitrary and unreasonable. TRM Labs joined the case as an intervenor-defendant on July 28, defending the contract alongside the U.S. government. The court has allowed Chainalysis to temporarily seal its complaint, with oral arguments scheduled for September 2. ICE stated that after approximately six days of market research, it determined that none of the eight responding companies could meet the requirements. (Decrypt)
Chainalysis Sues US Government Over Contract Dispute, TRM Labs Intervenes
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over a government procurement contract dispute, with competitor TRM Labs participating in the defense as an intervenor defendant. The court held an initial telephone conference on July 30, approved the plaintiff's confidentiality request and protective order, and established the case schedule—the administrative record was submitted on July 31, cross-motions from both parties will be completed by the end of August, oral argument is scheduled for September 2 at the National Courts Building in Washington, D.C., and the government requests a ruling by September 10.
MiCA implementation: only about 20% of European crypto service providers authorized, 281 approved
Odaily News According to a report by blockchain compliance analysis firm TRM Labs, following the full implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), only 281 of the original 1,343 crypto asset service providers applied for and received operating authorization, accounting for roughly one-fifth. Among the more than 1,800 crypto organizations previously registered in Poland, none obtained MiCA authorization; in Lithuania, only 8 of more than 400 received approval. Germany's regulator BaFin authorized 55 entities, while French and Dutch regulators each licensed 29. TRM Labs' assessments show that among firms that failed to obtain authorization and exited the market, 12% were rated as high-risk or severe-risk, compared to 2% among authorized firms. The former sent $5 billion to sanctioned counterparties, while the latter sent $1.7 billion. The report notes that unauthorized firms' sanctions exposure is approximately four times that of authorized firms. MiCA has also raised concerns about restricted access to stablecoins in Europe, and the EU is planning a comprehensive framework revision to address stablecoin issues and bring tokenized assets under regulatory scope. (Bitcoin.com News)
Coldcard hack losses estimated at 1,816 BTC, CryptoQuant confirms 1,432
Odaily News: Hardware wallet Coldcard has suffered a hack, with no confirmed total loss amount yet. Blockchain analytics platform CryptoQuant has confirmed losses of 1,432 BTC, while Galaxy Research places a high-confidence minimum estimate at 1,730 BTC. Other analyses suggest the scale of losses could be even higher. Research firm Galaxy Research stated that its earlier estimate of 1,816 BTC represents a potential figure, not a confirmed total. As of Tuesday, the firm's confirmed high-confidence minimum loss stands at 1,730 BTC, with over 450 BTC directly confirmed based on victim reports. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs estimates that the attacker moved approximately 1,816 BTC from more than 5,200 addresses in four phases. CryptoQuant stated that its confirmed figures only include addresses publicly disclosed by victims and verified through on-chain patterns, meaning the tally could rise as more victims come forward with information. (Cointelegraph)