Nansen’s on-chain analytics strategy after Glassnode pivot and Arkham AI rivalry

Nansen’s CEO Alex Svanevik positions the platform as a "compass" for investors, leveraging a dataset of over 500 million labeled addresses to track capital flows. This scale is critical because raw blockchain data is anonymous; seeing an address move $100m does not reveal if it is Alameda depositing into FTX or a retail whale rotating out. Svanevik notes that without entity attribution, monitoring millions of unique addresses on exchanges like Binance or Coinbase is impossible. The company’s core value lies in converting complex on-chain activity into clear views of opportunity and risk, allowing traders to build conviction before executing. I find this approach superior to price-centric platforms that add analytics as an afterthought rather than building intelligence first.

From dashboards to agentic execution

The inflection point for Nansen was realizing that insights alone were insufficient; users still had to leave the platform to act on them. With AI maturing to safely reason over live data, Nansen launched an AI trading agent that ingests real-time signals and executes trades directly. This move closes the loop between discovery and execution, deepening the competitive moat by relying on proprietary wallet data that competitors cannot easily replicate. Svanevik claims Nansen AI hits over 85 percent quality scores in Expert Mode for wallet identification and due diligence, while GPT-5 manages only around 20 percent. The agent operates under user-defined rules and never takes custody of funds, ensuring transparency while automating actions.

Pricing has shifted dramatically to reflect this accessibility. The Pro plan now costs $49 per month, down from previous tiers reaching $999, offering 20x the value for users who previously paid premium rates. This simplification includes the best on-chain analytics, the AI agent, and trading fees as low as 0.1 percent. Meanwhile, the staking business grew from $60 million to over $1.2 billion in assets under management within seven months of acquiring StakeWithUs. This expansion allows Nansen to bridge two customer groups: investors seeking insight and blockchain networks needing validators to understand their own platforms. The integration speed for new chains has also improved, dropping from three to six months to just one day in some cases.

Competitive positioning and regulatory friction

In September 2026, Nansen recorded approximately 27,100 branded searches compared to Arkham’s 24,600, holding 12.2 percent of all blockchain analytics platform searches. While both brands lost share from August, Nansen remained ahead in search volume and appeared in three of five AI-generated answers about the sector. However, the market is tightening. Glassnode focuses on macro cycle analysis for Bitcoin and Ethereum, whereas Nansen targets wallet-level intelligence. Arkham remains stronger for entity deanonymization and investigative workflows, though its pricing can be opaque.

Regulatory constraints present a specific challenge in Singapore, where Nansen limits certain trading functionalities. Svanevik explains that the company takes a conservative approach in restricted jurisdictions, focusing instead on core analytics and portfolio tracking. This strategy has not hindered growth in Southeast Asia, where demand stems from leadership in on-chain analytics rather than execution features. The company plans to launch its first Joint Venture Protocol in 2026, co-creating infrastructure with partners aligned with its roadmap. These protocols will be bootstrapped with Nansen Points holders as stakeholders, prioritizing areas like tokenized products and data protocols. Whether this long-term initiative dilutes resources or strengthens the ecosystem remains an open question for investors watching the next phase of crypto finance.