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Singapore court rules $125M Multichain hack was inside job – DL News

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Singapore court rules $125M Multichain hack was inside job – DL News
  • Fantom Foundation director Michael Kong has long had doubts about Multichain’s story.
  • A Singapore judge has ordered Multichain to pay Fantom $2.2 million.
  • Reported arrests in China muddy the waters as to where the money went.

When Multichain close Last summer, after an apparent hack of $125 million in cryptocurrency, Michael Kong dismissed speculation that it was an inside job.

As CEO of the Fantom Foundation, Kong was dismayed to see his project burn when all that cryptocurrency was mysteriously transferred to “unknown addresses in an abnormal manner.”

But Kong couldn’t get his head around the fact that Multichain was a thriving business. Why ruin it?

Kong is not so sure anymore.

In an interview earlier this year, Kong said he couldn’t rule out that someone affiliated with Multichain had managed to get hold of the money. “My perspective has changed a little bit,” he said. DL News“I had a little too much faith in what Multichain was telling us.”

A court ruling now appears to lend credence to Kong’s suspicions.

On July 8, Judicial Commissioner Mohamed Faizal of the High Court of Singapore governed that Multichain owes the Fantom Foundation, the organization that manages the Fantom blockchain, $2.2 million.

A court decision

Fantom, once a top-five blockchain with nearly $8 billion locked in its DeFi ecosystem, now sits just outside the top 50. As of Tuesday, DeFi applications on Fantom managed to generate a total of $129 million, just over half of what they did before the hack.

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On the eve of last year’s exploit, much of the crypto in Fantom’s DeFi ecosystem came from Multichain, a “bridge” that allows users to move digital assets between otherwise incompatible blockchains.

The total value of cryptocurrencies in Fantom’s myriad DeFi applications plummeted after the Multichain incident.

“[Fantom’s] position is that the violation was possible because the CEO of [Multichain] “He had ultimate privileges and control over the cryptocurrency assets stored in the multi-chain bridge,” Faizal wrote in his decision.

This violated the company’s user agreement, the judge said.

The decision could pave the way for the appointment of a third-party liquidator and the eventual return of the stolen tokens, according to the Fantom Foundation.

Faizal also noted that Fantom believes the “siphoned assets” may have been “illegally diverted” from one Multichain entity to another.

The judge was quick to add, however, that this allegation fell outside the scope of the legal case before him.

$1.8 billion lost

The lawsuit sheds more light on an episode that took place during a series of exploits a few years ago.

In 2022, the bridges lost $1.8 billion in hacks, a figure that represents more than half the value of cryptocurrencies stolen from DeFi protocols that year.

A representative for Multichain could not be reached for comment. The company has not defended itself at any point in the Fantom case. trial in Singapore, which started in 2023.

A person familiar with the inner workings of Multichain said DL News The company team had not planned any internal work.

“The truth will be known when the police make the case public,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his family in China.

“It’s conceivable that someone from the police force targeted the CEO of Multichain and said, ‘Hey, he’s got money.

— Michael Kong, Fantom Foundation

Kong claims that former Multichain employees have been “totally uncooperative.”

Multichain is a “bridge” that allows users to move digital assets between otherwise incompatible blockchains. Users on blockchain A can deposit cryptocurrencies into Multichain, which will issue IOU tokens on blockchain B, where they can be used as if they were real.

Arrests in China

In May 2023, founder and CEO Zhaojun He was arrested by police in the southern Chinese city of Kunming, according to a statement made by the company after the hack.

Despite the team’s efforts to keep the bridge up and running after Zhaojun’s disappearance, Multichain suffered an apparent hack on July 7, 2023, when $125 million in crypto was transferred to “unknown addresses in an abnormal manner,” the company said.

Two days later, Zhaojun’s sister tried to salvage what was left, the company said. She transferred much of the remaining cryptocurrency to wallets she controlled, only to also be detained on July 13.

Strapped for cash and unable to contact the CEO or his sister, Multichain said it would shut down and share information as it became available.

For some, the case has become a warning about operational security failure and running a business in a crypto-hostile police state.

Others, without evidence, suggested in a “Multichain Scam” Telegram chat group with over 500 members that Zhaojun and his sister had absconded with the missing cryptocurrency.

At the time, Kong said Multichain may have been the victim of a racketeering operation by local police. He added that employees had told him that some of their colleagues had been arrested.

Fantom investigates

A former employee, named Marcel, said DL News At least five people have been arrested, although this could not be independently verified.

“It’s conceivable that someone targeted the CEO of Multichain within a police force and said, ‘Hey, he’s got money, he’s pretty well-known in the industry. Let’s target him,’” Kong said. DL News last summer. “That’s what I think could happen.”

But evidence that has since emerged has changed that.

The Fantom Foundation, which hired a Hong Kong law firm called King & Wood Mallesons to investigate the situation, was able to confirm that Zhaojun had indeed been arrested, Kong said. DL News.

Jail

Although Zhaojun is likely still awaiting indictment, his colleagues at Multichain have had better luck.

“We understand that some of them have been arrested and released,” he said. “But we have had no contact with them for months because Multichain and its former team members have been completely uncooperative.”

A mysterious arbitration

In November, the Multichain Bridge was open for about two hours, allowing a user to take advantage of a $1 million arbitrage opportunity. The profits were then transferred to Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

So who is behind this move? “We believe it is a person (or several people) from the old Multichain team,” Kong said. DL News this week.

Earlier this year, he said it was unlikely the police had moved any funds because they would likely have used a different method.

The possibility of Multichain’s involvement was raised in court.

In his ruling, Faizal noted that the Fantom Foundation had sued two entities: Multichain Foundation Ltd, which ran the crypto bridge, and Multichain Pte Ltd.

This is because of the “sudden incorporation” of Multichain Pte Ltd “just before the July 7 security breach” and the foundation’s “belief that the siphoned assets could have been illegally diverted” to the entity, Faizal wrote.

But the Commissioner made it clear that this allegation fell outside the scope of his decision.

“I do not comment on the merits of these claims regarding the involvement of [Multichain Foundation] And [Multichain Pte]”I am not convinced of the validity of these claims,” ​​he wrote.

Regardless, the Fantom Foundation has yet to find a definitive answer as to what happened.

“We’re not quite sure yet,” Kong said. “Some [crypto] “The movements were confusing.”

Aleks Gilbert is DL News“New York-based DeFi correspondent. Got a tip? You can reach him at [email protected].

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We are the editorial team of BlockChainGuardian, where seriousness meets clarity in cryptocurrency analysis. With a robust team of finance and blockchain technology experts, we are dedicated to meticulously exploring complex crypto markets with detailed assessments and an unbiased approach. Our mission is to democratize access to knowledge of emerging financial technologies, ensuring they are understandable and accessible to all. In every article on BlockChainGuardian, we strive to provide content that not only educates, but also empowers our readers, facilitating their integration into the financial digital age.

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DeFi

Cryptocurrency and defi firms lost $266 million to hackers in July

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Crypto companies, defi lost $266m to hackers in July

In July 2024, the cryptocurrency industry suffered a series of devastating attacks, resulting in losses amounting to approximately $266 million.

Blockchain Research Firm Peck Shield revealed in an X post On August 1, attacks on decentralized protocols in July reached $266 million, a 51% increase from $176 million reported in June.

The most significant breach last month involved WazirX, one of India’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, which lost $230 million in what appears to be a highly sophisticated attack by North Korean hackers. The attack was a major blow to the stock market, leading to a break in withdrawals. Subsequently, WazirX launched a program in order to recover the funds.

Another notable incident involved Compound Finance, a decentralized lending protocol, which suffered a governance attack by a group known as the “Golden Boys,” who passed a proposal who allocated 499,000 COMP tokens – valued at $24 million – to a vault under their control.

The cross-chain liquidity aggregation protocol LI.FI also fell victim On July 16, a hack resulted in losses of $9.73 million. Additionally, Bittensor, a decentralized machine learning network, was one of the first protocols to suffer an exploit last month, loming $8 million on July 3 due to an attack targeting its staking mechanism.

Meanwhile, Rho Markets, a lending protocol, suffered a $7.6 million breach. However, in an interesting twist, the exploiters research to return the stolen funds, claiming the incident was not a hack.

July 31, reports The Terra blockchain protocol was also hacked, resulting in a loss of $6.8 million across multiple cryptocurrencies. As crypto.news reported, the attack exploited a reentrancy vulnerability that had been identified a few months ago.

Dough Finance, a liquidity protocol, lost $1.8 million in Ethereum (ETH) and USD Coin (USDC) to a flash loan attack on July 12. Similarly, Minterest, a lending and borrowing protocol, saw a loss of $1.4 million due to exchange rate manipulation in one of its markets.

Decentralized staking platform MonoSwap also reported a loss of $1.3 million following an attack that allowed the perpetrators to withdraw the liquidity staked on the protocol. Finally, Delta Prime, another decentralized finance platform, suffered a $1 million breach, although $900,000 of the stolen funds was later recovered.



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DeFi

Centralized crypto exchanges are slowly losing ground to their DeFi counterparts

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Centralized crypto exchanges are slowly losing ground to their DeFi counterparts

Centralized crypto exchanges are slowly losing ground to their DeFi counterparts, according to an in-depth data analysis conducted by Decrypt.

DeFiLlama’s decentralized exchange (DEX) volume data and CoinGecko’s total cryptocurrency trading volume data show that the percentage of cryptocurrency trading volume occurring on DEXs relative to total trading volume has increased from 4.6% in February to over 7% this month. This is an increase in the share of trading volume driven by DEXs of over 52%.

Source: Adrian Zmudzinski

Kunal Goel, a senior research analyst at Messari, told Decrypt that several factors are fueling the growth in DEX market share. He cited “the growth of meme coins and long-tail assets” as one of the reasons, explaining that they tend to list first on DEXs and only appear on centralized exchanges much later.if they last that long.

“The onchain user experience has improved with low fees and high throughput on Solana and Ethereum L2,” he added, highlighting advancements making decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions increasingly easier to use.

DeFiLlama data further shows that over the past 24 hours, DEX volume accounted for 22% of total trading volume. The crypto price aggregator notes that this percentage is meant to represent the dominance of decentralized exchanges over aggregated decentralized exchanges and centralized exchanges.

So far in 2024, DEX volume has seen a slow and steady increase.

CEX and DEX trading volume increased from $133.5 billion in January to $179.5 billion this month, an increase of about 34%. The year-to-date high was recorded in March, when CEX and DEX volumes saw a sharp increase, reaching $4.8 trillion and $266.89 billion, respectively.

Goel noted that at the time, “Bitcoin hit new all-time highs in March and trading activity is generally positively correlated with price and sentiment.” Looking ahead, he expects centralized exchanges to move on-chain and disrupt their own business models before others can. He added that “Base and BNB Chain are the most prominent examples of this.”

TradingView also shows a DeFi market cap dominance chart, in percentage terms. Currently at 3.86%, it fell from 4.47% on January 1 and hit a 2024 high of 4.81% on February 25. Goel noted that this was unexpected since “DEX volumes are a key driver of DEX value, so it’s a bit contradictory.”

Challenge is an umbrella term for a group of financial tools built on a blockchain, including DEXs, exchanges that operate primarily on-chain. The primary goal of DeFi is to allow anyone with internet access to lend, borrow, and bank without relying on intermediaries.

Similarly, the main goal of DEXs is to allow anyone with internet access to trade or even provide liquidity in exchange for a stake. DeFi and DEXs are one of the main areas of focus in decentralized application (dapp) development, which have seen considerable adoption this year.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

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DeFi

Pump.Fun Overtakes Ethereum in Daily Revenue: A New Leader in DeFi

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Pump.Fun Overtakes Ethereum in Daily Revenue: A New Leader in DeFi

In a remarkable turn of events, Pump.Fun, a memecoin launchpad, has surpassed all other platforms in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, achieving the highest gross revenue in the last 24 hours. According to data from DeFiLlama, Pump.Fun amassed $867,429 during this period, surpassing Ethereum’s $844,276. This achievement underscores the growing influence of memecoin infrastructure within DeFi.

Pump.Fun Revenue Milestones

The impressive revenue numbers go beyond daily performance. Pump.Fun is generating $315 million in annualized revenue, averaging $906,160 per day over the past week. This revenue surge is largely due to the recent memecoin frenzy, with Solana-based memecoins being particularly popular among on-chain enthusiasts. The platform’s user-friendly interface allows non-technical users to quickly launch their own tokens, spending as little as $2 without needing to provide any initial liquidity.

How Pump.Fun works

Pump.Fun’s operating model is designed to facilitate the use and rapid launch of tokens. Users can create new tokens in minutes, which are then allowed to trade along a bonding curve until they reach a market cap of approximately $75,000. At this point, the bonding curve is burned on Raydium, establishing a secure liquidity pool. The platform generates revenue through a 1% fee on transactions made on the platform. However, once a token is bonded and burned on Raydium, Pump.Fun stops charging this fee.

Ethereum: Traditional Power

Despite its daily revenues, Ethereum remains a cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem. It is the blockchain of Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of $395 billion. Ethereum powers many applications and digital assets, backing over $60 billion worth of smart contracts. Revenue generation on Ethereum is done through transaction fees, called gas, which are paid in ETH for executing transactions and smart contracts.

Comparative analysis of revenue models

While Ethereum’s revenue model relies on gas fees for transactions and smart contract executions, Pump.Fun takes a different approach. By enabling easy and low-cost token launches, Pump.Fun caters to a broad audience, including non-technical users. This inclusiveness, combined with the excitement surrounding memecoins, has led to rapid revenue growth. The 1% transaction fee ensures continued revenue generation until the token transitions to Raydium, creating a sustainable business model.

Memecoin frenzy

The recent rise in popularity of memecoins has been a major contributor to Pump.Fun’s success. Memecoins, particularly those based on Solana, have captivated the DeFi community, generating substantial activity on platforms like Pump.Fun. This trend highlights a shift in DeFi dynamics, where niche platforms catering to specific interests can achieve significant revenue milestones.

Future prospects

Pump.Fun’s recent successes suggest a potential shift in the DeFi landscape. As the platform continues to attract users with its simple token launch process and low-cost entry point, it could solidify its position as a leader in the DeFi space. The memecoin phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down, indicating that platforms like Pump.Fun could continue to see robust growth.

In conclusion, Pump.Fun’s ability to surpass Ethereum in terms of daily revenue underscores the evolving nature of the DeFi space. By providing a user-friendly platform for launching memecoins, Pump.Fun has tapped into a lucrative niche, demonstrating the potential for niche platforms to thrive alongside traditional blockchain giants like Ethereum. This development signals a broader trend toward diversification and innovation within the DeFi ecosystem, with new entrants challenging established players through unique value propositions and targeted services.

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DeFi

$10 Billion Venture Firm May Target 10x Opportunities in Ripple (XRP) and This DeFi Token

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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$10 Billion Venture Firm May Target 10x Opportunities in Ripple (XRP) and This DeFi Token

According to recent reports, one of the largest venture capital firms is looking for new opportunities in the cryptocurrency space as Bitcoin (BTC) attempts to break its all-time high and start a new bull run in the cryptocurrency market. They are balancing risk with low-risk, low-reward and high-risk, high-reward opportunities.

The first investment candidate is a top cryptocurrency, Ripple (XRP); it doesn’t have much growth potential because it’s already a large cap. Another scenario the firm is targeting is DTX ExchangeThe new hybrid exchange is expected to revolutionize the foreign exchange industry. According to analysts, its growth potential is immense and the risk is also very limited due to its low price.

Market is bullish as Trump wants to make US a Bitcoin (BTC) superpower

Over the past 30 days, Bitcoin (BTC) has increased by about 10%, and one of the catalysts for this price increase has been Donald Trump recently speaking out as a crypto pro. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has promised to make the United States the world leader in cryptocurrencies if elected in November. Speaking at the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville, Trump compared Bitcoin (BTC) to the steel industry of 100 years ago, highlighting its potential.

Trump’s plans include firing SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and immediately creating a “Presidential Advisory Council on Bitcoin (BTC) and Cryptocurrencies.” He stressed the importance of American leadership in the cryptocurrency space, saying, “I am laying out my plan to ensure that the United States is the cryptocurrency capital of the planet and the Bitcoin (BTC) superpower of the world.”

$600 Million Worth of Ripple (XRP) to Be Released in August

Ripple (XRP), the company behind the XRP Ledger blockchain and its native token Ripple (XRP), unlocks up to 1 billion tokens on the first day of every month. Since 2017, they have used several major escrow wallets, including Ripple (XRP) (24) and Ripple (XRP) (25), to evenly distribute these monthly unlocks.

However, Ripple (XRP) often relocks a large portion of newly issued XRP. For example, on June 1, Ripple (XRP) relocked 800 million XRP but still sold about 300 million XRP, worth $182 million at the time.

While Ripple (XRP) releases up to 1 billion XRP tokens each month, the actual amount released into circulation is typically much lower due to this re-escrow process, as noted in a 2017 XRP Ledger blog post.

DTX Exchange Follows Bitcoin (BTC) Path

The main target of large private equity firms is the DTX exchange (DTX), the reason being a clearly high utility like Bitcoin (BTC). This project has attracted global attention thanks to its exceptional pre-sale performance, offering early buyers a 100% return on investment and raising over $1 million. Projections suggest that this figure will reach $2 million by the end of August 2024.

DTX Exchange offers a revolutionary hybrid trading platform, combining the best features of centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX) exchanges. Traders can enjoy a seamless experience with access to over 120,000 asset classes, no KYC verification upon registration and ultra-fast transaction speeds of 0.04 seconds.

These benefits have attracted traders to this new cryptocurrency exchange. Currently, in Phase 2 of its pre-sale, DTX Exchange is listed at $0.04, which is double its starting price of $0.02. Market analysts predict that the upcoming listing of DTX Exchange on the Level 1 CEX in late 2024 could trigger a 100x bullish rally, making DTX Exchange the top cryptocurrency exchange to watch.

Learn more:

Visit the DTX Presale

Read White paper

Join the DTX community

Disclaimer: The statements, views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily represent those of Crypto Reporter. Crypto Reporter is not responsible for the reliability, quality and accuracy of the materials contained in this article. This article is provided for educational purposes only. Crypto Reporter is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Do your research and invest at your own risk.



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