On January 11, Mango Markets announced on its X (formerly Twitter) account that the platform would shut down and urged users to close their positions.

The decision follows governance votes that implemented new rules adjusting interest rates and collateral requirements, effectively ending borrowing and lending on the platform. These changes are expected to take effect on January 13.

SEC Settlement

On September 27, 2024, the SEC filed charges against Mango DAO and Blockworks Foundation for selling unregistered securities. According to the SEC, Mango raised $70 million in 2021 through the sale of MNGO governance tokens, violating the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC also accused Mango Labs of operating as an unregistered broker, breaching the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

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As part of the settlement, Mango DAO agreed to pay $700,000 in civil penalties, destroy MNGO tokens, and request exchanges to delist these tokens.

Legal and Financial Troubles of Mango Markets

Mango Markets’ decision to shut down traces back to an October 2022 exploit. Crypto trader Avraham “Avi” Eisenberg exploited a vulnerability in Mango’s protocol, draining over $100 million from the platform.

Following a community vote, Eisenberg returned $67 million but kept $40 million. He was arrested in December 2022 by U.S. authorities on charges of fraud and market manipulation.

Eisenberg’s sentencing has been postponed multiple times and is now scheduled for April 10, 2025. Facing up to 20 years in prison, Eisenberg may also be subject to civil enforcement actions by the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Impact on Mango Markets and the Solana Ecosystem

The total value locked (TVL) on Mango Markets has dropped significantly, from its all-time high of $210 million in November 2021 to just $9 million today—a decline of 95.7%.

This closure highlights the importance of security and regulatory compliance for decentralized exchanges within the Solana ecosystem.

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