Ransomware Payments Decline 8% as Attacks Surge 50%

**Executive summary:** Chainalysis reports that in 2025 ransomware payments fell 8% to $820M despite a 50% surge in victims; payment rates dropped to a record low of 29% while the median ransom rose 368% to $59,556, driven by more aggressive extortion tactics. The analysis attributes the shift to improved incident response and enforcement, fragmentation of RaaS affiliates, cryptographic weaknesses in some strains, and the convergence of criminal and state-aligned actors on shared infrastructure, underscoring an evolving and opportunistic ransomware ecosystem.