For the whole of 2020, losses in the crypto sector through fraud and crime were $1.9 billion. In 2019, crypto crime losses hit a record $4.5bn.
Cryptocurrencies are once again in the spotlight with the surge in prices for the second-largest token, Ether, and social media darling Dogecoin.
The drop in crypto crime reflects some maturity in the industry, as infrastructure improved and companies and exchanges boosted security systems.
DeFi, however, is another story. The value locked – the total number of loans on DeFi platforms – was $86bn as of Wednesday, DeFi Pulse data showed, up roughly 650 per cent from $11bn in October.
The surge in the industry's growth has attracted bad actors and market participants said the rise in crime is likely to accelerate as DeFi expands further.