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.

also known as: tumbler, mixing service
reviewed: 2026-08-20

Mixers, also called tumblers, exist to break the link between an address’s history and its balance. Some are custodial services; others are non-custodial protocols.

For screening purposes the significant fact is that funds arriving directly from a mixer have no verifiable provenance, and OFAC’s virtual currency guidance treats direct exposure to one as an indicator in its own right. Several mixing services have themselves been designated.

Where this term is used

How is cryptocurrency used to evade sanctions? — Settling obligations in virtual assets so that value moves without a correspondent bank, a payment message or a screening system in the path, and without any institution able to block it in transit.
What are mixers and chain hopping? — Breaking the traceability of on-chain funds by pooling them with other users' funds, or by moving them between blockchains, so that outputs cannot be readily linked to their inputs.
What is stablecoin settlement and why does it matter for sanctions? — Settling commercial obligations in a fiat-referenced token, so that a dollar-denominated trade can be paid without a dollar ever passing through a correspondent bank.

Related terms

Chain hopping — Moving value rapidly between different blockchains, usually through bridges or swap services, to interrupt tracing that works within a single chain.
Blockchain analytics — The practice of clustering addresses and attributing them to real-world services or actors, using on-chain patterns and off-chain information.
Virtual asset service provider — A business that exchanges, transfers, safekeeps or administers virtual assets for others, and which FATF expects to be licensed and supervised like other financial institutions.

Sources

Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Virtual Currency Industry. U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, 2021.
Updated Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers. Financial Action Task Force, 2021.

All glossary terms