TRM Labs: The illegal flow of cryptocurrency will reach $158 billion by 2025, with AI-driven fraud activities growing at an annual rate of approximately 500%

TRM Labs released a report indicating that artificial intelligence is profoundly changing the landscape of digital financial transactions, with illicit cryptocurrency flows reaching $158 billion by 2025, and AI-driven fraud activities growing at an annual rate of approximately 500%.

The report highlights that autonomous AI agents have significantly compressed the time required for money laundering and cross-chain asset transfers. By automating the splitting of funds, selecting optimal bridging paths, and executing exchanges on decentralized platforms, these agents can obscure the trail of funds in just seconds.

Overall, the 150 hacking incidents that occurred in 2025 resulted in losses of $2.87 billion, with the speed of fund dispersal playing a crucial role in the outcome of a $1.46 billion theft from a major exchange.