Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has released fresh analysis underscoring a pivotal reality in the fight against digital asset crime: artificial intelligence dramatically speeds up investigations, but human expertise remains the decisive factor in building airtight cases. Despite AI’s growing sophistication, the team at TRM Labs stresses that machines accelerate discovery while investigators supply the context, intent, and accountability that courts and justice demand.

In 2025, illicit cryptocurrency activity reached $158 billion globally, encompassing roughly $30 billion in scams and $2.87 billion in hacks. Criminals captured about 2.7 percent of total crypto liquidity.

Against this backdrop, TRM Labs’ platforms harness…