Sanctions Evasion Reference

Chain hopping

Moving value rapidly between different blockchains, usually through bridges or swap services, to interrupt tracing that works within a single chain.

also known as

cross-chain hopping, bridging

reviewed

2026-08-20

Analytics that cluster addresses and follow transactions do so within one ledger. Crossing to another chain breaks that continuity: the asset that arrives is a different asset on a different ledger, and linking the two requires reconstructing the bridge transaction.

It is defeated by the same reconciliation logic used everywhere else on this site — matching amounts and timings across the two ledgers — but it imposes real cost and delay, which is the point.

Where this term is used

Related terms

  • Mixer — A service that pools virtual currency from many users and redistributes it, so that outputs cannot be readily linked to the inputs that funded them.
  • Blockchain analytics — The practice of clustering addresses and attributing them to real-world services or actors, using on-chain patterns and off-chain information.
  • Stablecoin — A virtual asset designed to hold a steady value against a reference such as a national currency, usually by holding reserves or by algorithmic mechanism.

Sources

  1. Updated Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers. Financial Action Task Force, 2021.
  2. Crypto Crime Report. Chainalysis, 2024.

All glossary terms