Global Ledger experts conclude in their report: 2025 will be remembered for record losses totaling $4 B. The damage doubled, though the number of attacks increased only marginally to 255 incidents. Statistics were upended by one massive case: the Bybit hack for $1.46 B, which accounted for a third of all industry losses.
The main trend is speed. Criminals learned to withdraw funds in seconds. In 85% of cases, money vanished from accounts before the project could even announce the hack. While victims spent an average of 17 hours reacting, hackers were already covering their tracks through complex DeFi chains and bridges.
Laundering methods have evolved. Simple transfers are history — multi-stage schemes are now the standard, used in 99% of attacks. Tornado Cash remains a popular tool, but direct deposits to exchanges have nearly disappeared.
Experts, including Evgenia Broshevan from Hacken, insist on adopting unified reporting standards. The situation is critical: despite the complexity of schemes, only 7% of stolen assets were returned to owners, while half the funds remained in criminal wallets as dead weight.
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