/Companies

Merkle Science

Entrepreneur First '18

Brooklyn, US · Founded 2018 · 53 employees on LinkedIn · 11 known investors

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Merkle Science provides AI-powered blockchain analytics and predictive risk tools for cryptocurrency compliance, forensic investigations, and threat detection. Its products serve crypto businesses and compliance teams needing AML, KYC, and CFT monitoring across multiple blockchains.

Also known as Merkle Science Americas Inc.

Founders & leadership

Merkle Science was founded in 2018 by Mriganka Pattnaik and Nirmal AK.

MPMriganka Pattnaik
Mriganka PattnaikCo-Founder and CEOMriganka holds a Bachelor of Technology in biotechnology from IIT Guwahati and began his career on Bank of America's global investment banking team covering technology, media, and telecom. He subsequently ran growth and market expansion across Southeast Asia and India for Luno, the London-based retail cryptocurrency exchange.
NANirmal AK
Nirmal AKCo-founder · Chief Technology OfficerNirmal studied mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology. He spent three years on PayPal's Fraud Sciences team, where he built expertise in risk and compliance, before turning to company building.
RG
Raina Goyal

Investors · 11

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Merkle Science is a blockchain analytics and crypto risk intelligence company founded in 2018 that helps crypto businesses, DeFi participants, NFT platforms, financial institutions, regulators and government agencies detect, investigate and prevent illicit activity involving cryptocurrencies [3][4][5][7]. Its central technical claim is a proprietary Behavioral Rule Engine that takes a behavior-based, predictive approach to transaction risk rather than relying on backward-looking blacklists, which the company says allows detection of suspicious addresses before they appear on other providers' databases [0][3][4].

The product suite is organized into four offerings: Compass for AML/KYC/CFT transaction monitoring and sanctions-violation prevention; Tracker for forensic investigation and tracing of illicit activity across hacks, scams and exploits, with cross-chain coverage of more than 10,000 assets and 200 bridges; a Data Platform for custom queries and large-scale research, including transaction lists from major scams; and Onchain Pulse, an AI-based ecosystem monitoring product that produces risk scores for tokens (flagging sanctions exposure, darknet activity and CSAM) and aggregate risk scores for virtual asset service providers [0][1]. The company also sells training and certification courses aimed at investigators, compliance officers, analysts and regulators, covering MiCA stablecoin issuer compliance, AML/CFT compliance, and crypto investigation [0][1], and publishes research such as an EU MiCA cryptoassets guide, an attribution report and analysis of the Bybit attack [0].

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Related companies · 9

ChainalysisChainalysis provides investigative services and training programs for cryptocurrency compliance and risk mitigation. The company serves organizations managing crypto assets through expert support, training certifications, and intelligence capabilities.
TRM LabsTRM Labs offers an online certification course on blockchain investigations and crypto forensics for professionals who need to trace cryptocurrency transactions across multiple blockchains. The course covers cryptocurrency essentials, financial crime risks, on-chain investigation techniques, and crypto compliance using TRM Labs' forensics tools.
EllipticElliptic provides blockchain forensics and compliance investigation tools that help financial institutions trace cryptocurrency transactions across multiple networks and assets to detect illicit activity and generate regulatory reports.
CoinDeskCoinDesk is a news and media outlet covering cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital asset markets. It publishes articles, market data, and analysis for readers following the crypto industry.
Comply AdvantageComplyAdvantage offers a SaaS-based risk intelligence platform for anti-money laundering (AML) and financial crime risk management, providing customer screening and transaction monitoring for financial services and compliance teams. Its AI-driven tools support onboarding, ongoing monitoring, remediation, and reporting.
CoinbaseCoinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers trading, custody, and financial services for cryptocurrencies, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets to consumers, institutions, and developers. The company operates a full-stack infrastructure including secure custody, liquidity services, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails.
Unit 21Unit21 provides an AI-powered fraud prevention and AML compliance platform that automates financial crime detection, investigations, and regulatory filing across the full lifecycle. The platform serves fintechs and financial institutions globally with configurable AI agents that reduce false positives and accelerate case resolution while maintaining regulatory defensibility.
LedgerLedger provides hardware and software cryptocurrency wallet solutions that enable users to buy, swap, earn, and manage digital assets with security features and portfolio tracking capabilities across multiple blockchain networks.
TookitakiTookitaki provides an anti-financial crime platform designed for banks and fintech companies, leveraging community intelligence and real-time responsiveness to detect and prevent financial crimes. The platform uses federated learning and transparent AI frameworks to serve financial institutions across APAC and the Middle East.

Companies working in the same space as Merkle Science.

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Merkle Science do?
Blockchain analytics company offering predictive crypto transaction monitoring, forensics and compliance tools.
Who founded Merkle Science?
Merkle Science was founded by Mriganka Pattnaik, Nirmal AK in 2018.
Who are Merkle Science's investors?
Merkle Science's investors include 500 Global, Digital Currency Group, Entrepreneur First, Fenbushi Capital, K3 Ventures, K3V Ventures, Token Bay Capital, Triton Capital and 3 more.
Where is Merkle Science headquartered?
Merkle Science is headquartered in Brooklyn, US.