Hacker Converts $330M BTC into Monero, Suspected Price Manipulation

Hacker Converts $330M BTC into Monero, Suspected Price Manipulation

This incident highlights serious concerns about privacy coin exploitation and potential market manipulation strategies using derivatives, disrupting market stability.

The significant cybersecurity breach involved the conversion of 3,520 BTC, valued at over $330 million, into Monero . Monero’s price surged by 50%, sparking allegations of market manipulation. The conversion strategy, linked to an unknown hacker, strategically leveraged Monero’s privacy features.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT analyzed the transactions, uncovering a sophisticated methodology. The hacker utilized multiple exchanges to obscure the trail, selecting Monero due to its privacy features, contrasting more transparent options like USDT or ETH.

Monero’s price volatility was extraordinary, with open interest in derivatives increasing by 107%. This indicated potential attempts to manipulate the market, capitalizing on the privacy coin’s feature and causing a notable retracement post-surge.

“The unidentified hacker moved the stolen funds through multiple exchanges before converting them to XMR, showing a sophisticated understanding of market dynamics.” – Coindesk

The financial repercussions of this event are substantial. Monero witnessed a 3,200% spike in volume in 24 hours. The event mirrors a pattern seen in similar crypto hack cases where privacy coins are used to obscure stolen funds.

Given the hacker’s strategy, regulatory scrutiny might intensify surrounding the use of privacy coins. These coins could become focal points in future legislative measures due to their potential role in laundering activities and market manipulation attempts utilizing derivatives positioning.