Iranian Crypto Outflows Surge Up To 873% As Hourly Transfers Top $2M After Airstrikes

• Crypto outflows from Iranian exchanges surged up to 873% above average after the latest US-Israeli airstrikes, according to Chainalysis.
• Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic reported a 700% spike in cryptoasset withdrawals from Iran’s largest exchange, Nobitex.
• Analysts say the surge may reflect capital flight and sanction-evasion activity, as users move funds off local platforms during geopolitical tensions.

Following recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, hourly cryptocurrency outflows from Iranian exchanges increased significantly, with transfers momentarily surpassing $2 million per hour, according to blockchain data. 

The spike, evident in hourly flow data from late February to early March, shows an abrupt outflow of funds from regional cryptocurrency exchanges soon after the strikes became public, according to crypto key opinion leader Walter Bloomberg.

According to blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, crypto outflows from Iranian exchanges rose significantly after the US and Israeli strikes, indicating heightened activity as accounts transferred assets away from local platforms. The firm reported roughly $10.3 million in cryptoasset outflows last week, with hourly outflows surging up to 873% above the 2026 average shortly after news of the strikes broke.

Chainalysis also noted that this pattern fit a broader trend seen in Iran’s $7.8 billion crypto ecosystem, where trading activity and on-chain movements tended to spike during periods of geopolitical shocks or domestic unrest. The firm said many of the funds appear to be moving into wallets that could belong to individuals shifting assets into self-custody, exchanges reorganizing liquidity across new wallets, or potentially state-linked actors moving funds during periods of instability.

Capital Flight And Sanctions Workarounds

Separately, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic reported that crypto-asset outflows from Iranian exchanges surged by more than 700% within minutes of the initial U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. The company highlighted activity from Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, where outgoing transactions spiked sharply immediately after the attacks.

Elliptic noted that Nobitex processed roughly $7.2 billion in crypto transactions in 2025 and had more than 11 million users, making it a key part of Iran’s digital asset ecosystem. The firm said such spikes may have represented a capital flight, as users converted Iranian rials into crypto and moved funds to external wallets or overseas exchanges.

The report from Elliptic further added that similar surges in crypto outflows have occurred earlier this year following US sanctions announcements and domestic protests, suggesting that digital assets were being used to bypass restrictions in the traditional banking system.

However, Elliptic noted that blockchain transparency also allowed regulators and investigators to track where such funds ultimately move, even as geopolitical tensions drive sudden spikes in on-chain activity.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

The spike in Iranian crypto outflows also came as Bitcoin rallied past $71,000 on Wednesday, its highest level in nearly a month. Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $73,070.93, rising over 8.3% over 24 hours. 

On Stockwits, the retail sentiment around BTC moved from ‘bullish’ to ‘extremely bullish’ territories, as chatter levels around it remained ‘low’ over the past day. 

Read also: Chamath Palihapitiya Warns There's A Structural Failing In BTC – ‘Bitcoin Fails On Those Two Dimensions’

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