Refund Plan for Recovered Assets

The protocol will return the $8 million in recovered tokens, secured by whitehat teams and Balancer internal security, to affected users in the same token types. StakeWise separately handles $19.7 million in osETH and osGNO positions with an independent recovery timeline.

Whitehat actors, who helped secure funds ahead of the hacker, will receive 10% of the recovered assets as rewards, paid in the same token types. Some chose to waive their rewards, highlighting ethical hacking compliance under Balancer’s Safe Harbor Agreement.

Affected users will connect their wallets, verify balances via snapshot, and accept a short legal agreement. Approved claims are paid instantly. The claim window is expected to be open for 90–180 days, after which unclaimed funds may be redirected by DAO vote.

Market Impact and Behavioral Analysis

Following this, the attacker recently moved 6,999 ETH to a new wallet, triggering increased attention and scrutiny on on-chain analytics platforms. After the exploit, Balancer’s TVL dropped from $775 million to $258 million, and the BAL token lost roughly 30% of its value. Meanwhile, the announcement of the refund plan led to a 2% recovery in BAL price over the past 24 hours.

The root cause of the attack was minor rounding errors in some v2 pool balance calculations. This flaw created extremely unbalanced pools, enabling manipulation that drained millions of dollars.

DeFi Security Test

This refund initiative emphasizes transparency and strengthens investor confidence. The DAO expects the claim portal to go live in late December or early January, while StakeWise recovery follows its own schedule. The case underscores the importance of secure DeFi protocols for future investor trust.

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According to Strategic Solana Reserve data, Forward Industries has accumulated 6.82 million SOL. Meanwhile, Sharps Technology collected 2.14 million SOL. Defi Development Corp and Upexi Inc hold roughly 2 million SOL each. 

In total, about 17 million SOL — valued at around $4.3 billion — has been accumulated. Additionally, Nasdaq-listed Helius Medical Technologies announced a $500 million treasury bond program focused on SOL. This strategy mirrors Michael Saylor’s corporate debt and equity issuance model for Bitcoin. 

Optimism in Options and Derivatives Markets 

Bullish expectations are rising in the SOL options market. The put-call premium ratio ranged between 14% and 57% last week, reflecting higher premiums for call options. 

Moreover, perpetual futures funding rates are around 8%. While leveraged buying remains limited, institutional accumulation lowers SOL’s risk profile, enabling investors to take safer positions. 

ETF Approval and Market Expectations 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has introduced regulations that may accelerate spot crypto ETF approvals, boosting interest in potential Solana ETFs. 

Grayscale received approval to list its $930 million Digital Large Cap Fund, which primarily invests in Bitcoin and Ether but also includes smaller allocations to XRP, SOL, and Cardano. 

Currently, Solana ranks second with $14.6 billion in TVL and a staking yield of 6.8%, surpassing Ether’s 2.9%. In summary, if SEC approval is secured, SOL could reach $300. However, rival altcoin launches and broader market conditions may influence this outcome. 

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On Saturday, claims emerged that Aave would receive a special token allocation from World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The rumors caused the token price to fall from $385 to $339. Later, it recovered slightly to around $352. 

World Liberty Rumors Shake Aave Price 

Blockchain reporter Colin Wu reached out to the WLFI team, who denied the claims. According to the team, reports stating that Aave would receive 7% of the total WLFI supply were false. However, Wu referenced a community proposal from October 2024. The proposal outlined that the Aave DAO would receive 7% of WLFI circulating supply and 20% of protocol revenue from WLFI distributions on Aave v3. 

Aave founder Stani Kulechov described the proposal as “the art of the deal.” He also confirmed that the proposal’s terms remain valid. Nevertheless, with no official announcement, discussions intensified. Meanwhile, Cointelegraph contacted both Aave and WLFI representatives but received no response by publication time. 

DeFi Interest Surges Again 

The rumors surfaced during a resurgence in the DeFi sector. According to DeFiLlama, total value locked (TVL) across protocols surpassed $167 billion. This figure approaches the all-time high of $212 billion seen in December 2021. 

Following the U.S. elections, expectations of a friendlier regulatory environment drew investors into the space. Banks, asset managers, and financial services firms increasingly engaged with DeFi protocols. This institutional participation is shaping many current market narratives. 

Moreover, the community debates how government intervention could alter DeFi’s decentralized nature. On the other hand, some users worry traditional institutions may take control of the sector. Ultimately, the Aave rumors fueled these discussions further. 

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The Bybit hack was executed by Lazarus, a North Korea-linked cybercrime group. The FBI labeled the incident as the “TraderTraitor” operation. The stolen amount surpassed all North Korea-related cyber thefts in 2024. 

Lazarus’s “Flood the Zone” Tactic Exposed 

After the attack, Lazarus rapidly laundered the stolen funds through multidirectional, high-frequency transactions. This method, called “flood the zone” by TRM Labs, aims to overwhelm exchange compliance teams and blockchain analytics firms. 

TRM Labs stated, “This tactic involves intense, simultaneous transfers designed to drown regulators and analysts. The Bybit hack clearly showed an increased use of this method.” This reveals significant security gaps in the digital asset ecosystem. 

Meanwhile, Chainalysis experts traced suspicious wallets linked to a local crypto exchange in Greece. As a result, the assets held by the exchange were frozen. This step underlines the critical role of international cooperation in fighting crypto crimes. 

A New Chapter in Global Crypto Regulation 

Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis commented on the case: “Thanks to blockchain’s traceability, international cooperation can stop financial crimes.” 

This operation may inspire similar actions in countries like South Korea and the U.S. Centralized exchanges such as Bybit must strengthen security after such attacks. The rise in investments across DeFi and CeFi platforms makes this increasingly important. According to DeFiLlama, the total value locked (TVL) reached $121 billion in July 2025. 

This development highlights cybersecurity as a top priority in crypto markets. Moreover, blockchain’s transparency enables more effective combat against cybercrime. 

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Support Weakens, RSI Nears Oversold Levels

Previously, SOL held strong at $114.57, but that support has given way. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 44, signaling mild overselling. While momentum had shown signs of recovery, the latest price dip casts doubt on a clear reversal. Traders remain cautious amid mixed signals.

You Might Be Interested In: Elon Musk Talks About the Name of a New Memecoin!

Solana’s DeFi ecosystem is growing rapidly, as capital inflows push TVL to new highs. However, the positive on-chain metrics haven’t translated into price support. The $120 pivot zone has been broken, leaving $135 as the next resistance — if momentum recovers.

$200M Unlock Adds to Volatility Risk

On-chain data reveals a $200 million token unlock is imminent, creating concern over potential short-term selling pressure. As new supply enters the market, price volatility could spike. The outcome will largely depend on how well liquidity absorbs the increase in circulating tokens.

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The Dencun upgrade, launched on March 13, 2024, is considered one of the most significant improvements to Ethereum’s network. The upgrade combined the Cancun upgrade on the execution layer and the Deneb upgrade on the consensus layer, implementing a total of nine Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). The primary goal was to enhance Ethereum’s scalability and reduce transaction costs for layer-2 networks.

According to YCharts data, the average gas fee on Ethereum has fallen from 72 gwei in 2024 to just 2.7 gwei as of March 12, 2025. NFT sales, which had averaged $145 in gas fees last year, now only cost around $0.65.

Significant Decline in ETH Price

Despite the major drop in gas fees, the price of Ethereum (ETH) has declined 53% over the past year. During the Dencun upgrade in March 2024, ETH was trading above $4,070. As of March 13, 2025, ETH is priced at $1,891, according to CoinGecko.

You Might Be Interested In: Elon Musk Talks About the Name of a New Memecoin!

Dominik Harz, co-founder of Build on Bitcoin (BOB), commented to Cointelegraph that Ethereum has “underperformed” recently. Harz noted, “Since Trump’s election, Monday’s price drop erased all DeFi TVL gains. Between Solana’s memecoin frenzy and Ethereum’s fractured few months, it’s clear the industry is searching for a new, more sustainable and secure frontier for DeFi.”

Pectra Upgrade Faces Issues During Testing

Ethereum’s next major upgrade, Pectra, was rolled out on its final testnet, Sepolia, on March 5. However, soon after deployment, the team encountered issues with error messages and empty blocks being mined. Ethereum developer Marius van der Wijden confirmed that a fix had been deployed, but an unknown user later triggered the same issue, causing further disruptions.

Harz stated that while these testnet issues may delay the mainnet launch, they are far from Ethereum’s biggest challenge. The Pectra upgrade is expected to double data space for layer-2s, lower costs, and increase execution capacity. However, Harz warned, “While that’s a step in the right direction, the reality is that Ethereum is quickly losing its position as the go-to chain for builders, and Pectra isn’t the fix-all solution to its deeper issues.”

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