Share this article

THORChain Sees Record $4.6B Volume After Bybit's $1.4B Hack

THORChain was one of the platforms Bybit hackers used to launder funds, according to observers.

Mar 4, 2025, 5:40 a.m.
Thor hammer (UnSplash)
Thor hammer (UnSplash)

What to know:

  • THORChain processed $4.6 billion in swaps last week.
  • The Bybit hacker used the platform to swap and launder funds, per observers.

THORChain, a decentralized protocol enabling users to swap cryptocurrencies across various blockchains, has seen what can be described as an unwanted windfall after the Bybit hack.

The protocol processed $4.66 billion in swaps in the week ended March 2, the highest tally on record, according to data source DefiLlama. The tally exceeded the $1 billion mark on Sunday alone.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The surge in activity follows the hack of the crypto exchange Bybit on Feb. 22, which saw the North Korean malicious entity walk away with $1.4 billion in ether. Per observers, the entity used THORChain to swap and launder funds, resulting in a record activity on the platform.

"Starting from the initial Bybit Exploiter wallet, funds were sent across a further stretching net of wallets. With each 'hop' further from the main wallet, there was an increasing amount of intermediary wallets and the value transfers became smaller and smaller," blockchain analytics firm Nansen said in a report shared with CoinDesk.

"From hop 2, the hacker started interacting with third-party entities to start swapping and laundering the funds. Entities with the most inflow volume from the hack include THORChain, Paraswap, Mantle, OK DEX and DODO," Nansen added.

CoinDesk reached out to THORChain for a comment on the matter.

Per onchain analyst EmberCN, hackers have laundered the entire ETH balance in ten days, generating record revenue for THORChain.

"Hackers have laundered all 499,000 ETH ($1.39 billion) stolen from Bybit, a process that took 10 days. The ETH price has fallen by 23% in the process (from $2,780 to $2,130 today). THORChain, the main channel used by hackers to launder money, also earned $5.9 billion in transaction volume and $5.5 million in handling fees due to hackers' money laundering," EmberCN said on X.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Japan’s Higher Rates Puts Bitcoin in the Crosshairs of a Yen Carry Unwind

Aerial view of Tokyo (Jaison Lin/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

A stronger yen typically coincides with de-risking across macro portfolios, and that dynamic could tighten liquidity conditions that recently helped bitcoin rebound from November’s lows.

What to know:

  • The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates to 0.75% at its December meeting, the highest since 1995, affecting global markets including cryptocurrencies.
  • A stronger yen could lead to de-risking in macro portfolios, impacting liquidity conditions that have supported bitcoin's recent recovery.
  • Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated a high probability of a rate hike, with officials prepared for further tightening if their economic outlook supports it.