Blog

Sanctions | September 21, 2026

How a Russia-linked platform hid services from compliance teams

A Russia-linked crypto platform scrubbed its website but kept Russia-facing services alive in its Telegram bot, gated by nationality.

Investigations | September 18, 2026

Inside the $61.2M USDT forfeiture tied to Iranian oil sales

A $61.2M forfeiture claims addresses that moved $2.72B. Here's what the on-chain data shows, and why the private keys are still live..

Thought Leadership | September 16, 2026

Nested exchanges: why one compliance check is not enough

Nested exchanges embed one operator's users in another platform; here's where risk hides and detection tips.

Stablecoin | September 10, 2026

What tokenized real-world assets actually look like on-chain

We read the holder data behind $18B in tokenized real-world assets to see who actually holds them - and it isn't retail.

Investigations | September 7, 2026

Crypto card services double in five months

Crystal's follow-up finds 150 new crypto card services in five months, with non-custodial wallets driving much of the growth

Decision Intelligence | September 2, 2026

Decision intelligence for threat detection vs. blockchain analytics

A risk score tells you a wallet looks risky. Here's what decision intelligence adds on top of blockchain analytics for threat detection teams.

Agentic Payments | August 27, 2026

Agentic payments need agentic evidence

Agents are starting to pay each other at machine speed. Your evidence has to move just as fast.

Thought Leadership | August 21, 2026

What the A7A5 stablecoin did after Grinex collapsed

A7A5’s supply never left after Grinex collapsed. What dormancy means for sanctions screening and AML monitoring.

Decision Intelligence | August 20, 2026

What is decision intelligence for digital assets?

This guide introduces decision intelligence for digital assets: why the market needs a new category, and how it turns on-chain and off-chain.

Thought Leadership | August 18, 2026

Nested services: the $8B blind spot inside crypto exchanges

Nested services move $8B through regulated exchanges. Here is why exchange-level checks miss them, and how to close the gap.

Thought Leadership | August 17, 2026

New York: crypto risk and regulation in 2026

NY ranked fourth among US crypto crime losses in 2025. The enforcement gap, the CRYPTO Act, and what to do now.

Stablecoin | August 13, 2026

Where stablecoins keep time

Crystal Foresight maps where the ten largest stablecoins' users keep their clocks, from DAI's single time zone to USDC's global spread.

Investigations | August 12, 2026

Tracing the Coldcard hack: where the stolen Bitcoin went

The Coldcard RNG flaw let attackers crack seed phrases and drain over 2,000 BTC. We trace where the stolen bitcoin went — and who is still exposed.

Market Analysis / Research | August 12, 2026

Reporting failures, not fraud, just shut down 96 crypto ATMs

A regulator shut down 96 crypto ATMs over reporting gaps, not fraud. Here's the self-check every VASP should run.

Explainers | August 10, 2026

What is KYT compliance, and what does it require?

Know Your Transaction, in practice: the controls a KYT program covers, its regulatory basis, and how to prove it works.