XPL Manipulator Gains $38 Million in Hyperliquid Incident

A cryptographic anomaly unfolded on Hyperliquid as a trader known as @Techno_Revenant inadvertently triggered a token price surge, accumulating $38 million in just 20 minutes.

This incident highlights vulnerabilities in pre-launch token markets, emphasizing the need for enhanced exchange controls amid significant financial impacts and widespread trader losses.

Trader Gains $38 Million; XPL Surges Over 200%

After accumulating around $30 million in long orders over two days, @Techno_Revenant accidentally placed large orders, spurring a significant XPL spike. This led to forced liquidations topping $159 million. “After closing the positions, the whale made $16 million in ‘just one minute.’ $XPL pumped to $1.80, over 200% in 2 minutes,” said MLM, an on-chain analyst.

Hyperliquid acknowledged the trading anomaly, emphasizing the need for updated measures to avoid such disruptions. A future price cap was promised to limit price volatility to 10x the eight-hour average, aiming to prevent similar incidents and protect traders.

Notable reactions included comments from industry players and a confirmation from an on-chain analyst dismissing initial speculation linking the event to Justin Sun. Community sentiment remains cautious, with traders advised to refrain from immediate investments in XPL.

XPL’s Record Liquidations Highlight DeFi Market Risks

Did you know? The rapid surge in XPL price led to $160 million in liquidations, marking one of the largest forced closure events in recent DeFi history, highlighting significant liquidity risks in low-volume markets.

According to CoinMarketCap, as of 08:38 UTC, August 29, 2025, XPL is trading at $0.69, a notable rise of 35.96% over 24 hours. With a fully diluted market cap of approximately $6.86 billion, XPL has seen remarkable volatility, surging 316.82% over seven days amidst these developments.

Analysts from the Coincu research team indicate that events like this pose potential financial risks to market stability. They stress the importance of robust regulatory frameworks and improved risk assessment protocols for new token listings to avoid repeat occurrences. These insights reflect ongoing challenges in securing token markets against manipulation activities.