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Ethena Labs Under Fire For Alleged Funds Misuse, ENA Price Crashes 6%
Ethena Labs, a synthetic dollar protocol built on Ethereum, is under scrutiny after allegedly misusing 180 million ENA tokens on a crypto farming event. The price of a token went down by 6.01%.
The Ethena team reportedly staked 25% of the total ENA (SENA) in its ongoing Season 3 farming event, which could dilute rewards for regular participants and present ethical considerations.
This development has triggered huge crypto community debates, raising questions about Ethena’s transparency and governance.
Ethena Labs Scrutinized for Alleged Misuse of Tokens
Ethereum-based synthetic dollar protocol Ethena Labs is now under scrutiny after it was discovered it participated in one of its crypto-farming events using 180 million Ethena tokens. ENA token price went down immediately by over 6% at the time of writing, hovering around $0.33. The price of Ethereum, however, stayed stable and was standing around $2,512 at the press time.
On October 27, crypto sleuth Nomad accused the Ethena team of holding 25% of the total staked ENA in its Season 3 farming event and actively farming Sats with them. Satoshi rewards were given to users for interacting with different parts of the Ethena ecosystem.
The issue blew up when six Ethena wallets reportedly staked ENA tokens during the farming event and reaped huge rewards. That included Sats and Ethereal ETRL points. According to Nomad’s report, those wallets had gotten 180 million ENA tokens transferred from a Coinbase Prime Custody address. The given address allegedly held locked ENA tokens intended for the Ethena Foundation and core team.
The wallets received considerable gains shortly after the launch in September. Observers suspected that Ethena could skew reward distribution in favor of foundation insiders. In response to the allegations, Ethena stated that the staked ENA tokens are foundation-owned and therefore entitled to participate.
Ethena Labs: There Was No Insider Trading
Right after discovering the misuse, Ethena Labs sent an official message. The team categorically claimed that no locked team or investor tokens were staked as sENA to receive any rewards, including Ethereal.
We are aware of questions circulating in Discord and X as to whether investors or the Ethena team are earning Ethereal rewards via sENA using locked tokens.
We would like to categorically confirm to our community that absolutely no locked team or investor tokens are staked as… pic.twitter.com/v5SxgDwCTp
— Ethena Labs (@ethena_labs) October 28, 2024
The team publicly confirmed this on Discord last week. Users sent out all ENA from those wallets as unlocked. They were following the exact vesting schedule outlined in the original token distribution blog post.
The wallets in question hold foundation tokens that remain unlocked but meet the eligibility criteria.
The foundation has, however, indicated that these tokens should not be airdrop recipients or any other form of reward.
To further clarify, this week, the UI will add a section that breaks out the total sENA eligible for future airdrops. It will also exclude the undistributed sENA held in the Liquifi contracts.
Will Past Issues Hinder Future Success?
Nomad also mentions that Ethena’s past staking events had problems. Strange anomalies happened in Seasons 1 and 2, and some users suffered financial losses. This history of complications has made community members wary about the Ethena Labs commitment to fairness.
The probe focuses on how, with some $2.6B of users’ money under management, transparency and clarity are crucial in maintaining trust. This week, Wintermute, an algorithmic trading company, started accepting Ethena’s USDe token as collateral for OTC trading activities.
This deal will enable Wintermute’s customers to use USDe as collateral for various trading products, a sign that Ethena’s assets are gaining more acceptance despite the controversy.
Teuta
Teuta is a seasoned writer and editor with over 15 years of experience in macroeconomics, technology, and the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. Starting her career in 2005 as a lifestyle writer for Cosmopolitan in Croatia, she expanded into covering business and economy for several esteemed publications like Forbes and Bloomberg. Influenced by figures like Don Tapscott and Bruce Dickinson, Teuta embraced the blockchain revolution, believing crypto to be one of humanity’s most crucial inventions. Her fintech involvement began in 2014, focusing on crypto, blockchain, NFTs, and Web3. Known for her excellent teamwork and communication skills, Teuta holds a double MA in Political Science and Law, enjoys punk rock, chablis, and has a passion for shoes.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Litecoin whales have shaken the crypto market to its core on Saturday, embarking on a massive buying spree amid the latest ETF advancement. Renowned crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed that these whales accumulated nearly 1 million tokens over the past two weeks. Investors are eyeing this as a highly bullish event, given that the market has also seen Canary Capital’s LTC ETF on the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) recently.
Litecoin Whales Buy Heavily, Investors Bullish Amid ETF Development
According to an X post by Ali Martinez on February 22, Litecoin whales acquired 930,000 tokens in the past two weeks. This data reverberated substantial market optimism for the crypto, underscoring heightened buying pressure despite the broader market turbulence.
Notably, crypto whales are large-scale investors with considerable trading experience in the market. Their trade maneuver to accumulate coins surfaces as bullish news, underlining market confidence in the token’s potential to gain on the back of recent developments.
Canary Capital’s ETF Emerges On DTCC
The latest ETF development for the token has solidified hopes of an approval ahead. CoinGape reported that Canary’s LTC ETF appeared on the DTCC platform under the ticker LTCC this week. This saga has solidified investor bullishness as an exchange-traded product backed by the crypto may be available soon.
Also, renowned ETF analyst Eric Balchunas further anticipated that there is a 90% chance of approval in 2025. The Litecoin whale accumulations amid this bullish event have further boosted the coin’s market sentiment, indicating potential gains ahead.
LTC Price Eyes Rally?
However, despite the massive buying, LTC price tanked over 5% on Saturday, closing in at $128.13. The coin hit a bottom and peak of $123.93 and $139.86 in the past 24 hours. The weekly chart for the token also illustrated a 3% drop. This waning action primarily falls in with the broader crypto market volatility.
Nevertheless, renowned crypto trader Carl Moon took to X, revealing that a $143 price target looms for the token. As per Carl, LTC is forming a bullish flag on lower timeframes, signaling an uptrend ahead. The significant buying pressure brought by Litecoin whales further supports this bullish prediction.
Crypto market traders and investors thoroughly monitor the token, reflecting optimism amid recent ETF developments and strong whale support.
Coingape Staff
CoinGape comprises an experienced team of native content writers and editors working round the clock to cover news globally and present news as a fact rather than an opinion. CoinGape writers and reporters contributed to this article.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Amidst the SEC’s positive approach to XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), anxiety is building around the potential resolution of the Ripple lawsuit. Notably, the recent settlement of the Coinbase case has fueled community optimism about a potential dismissal of the XRP lawsuit. According to legal expert Jeremy Hogan, a settlement in the Ripple vs. SEC case is possible as early as Q2 2025.
Will XRP Lawsuit be Settled by May 2025?
As the community awaits an imminent resolution in the XRP lawsuit, advocate Jeremy Hogan shared his insights. In an X post, Hogan stated that the Ripple vs. SEC case could witness a settlement by the first half of April or early May. However, he clarified that the prediction is merely his intuition and not based on any concrete evidence.
Hogan’s comments came in response to Good Morning Crypto host Johnny Krypto’s post. Addressing Hogan, Johnny Krypto shared a thread, seeking the lawyer’s opinion on the impending conclusion of the XRP lawsuit. The message read, “Do you think the XRP case can get dropped sooner than you originally thought or does May still feel right to you gut??
Coinbase Case Closure and XRP Lawsuit Settlement
In a surprising development, the US SEC agreed to drop the prolonged Coinbase lawsuit, marking a significant milestone in the crypto space. The move also highlights the SEC’s regulatory changes that visions the establishment of the US crypto environment.
Celebrating the significant development, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong posted on X that the platform reached an agreement with the SEC after “years of litigation, millions of your taxpayer dollars spent, and irreparable harm done to the country.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Hogan sees the Coinbase suit dismissal with prejudice as a strong win, as it permanently closes the case. He means that there is no room for the SEC to refile the case.
Notably, as per Hogan’s words, the SEC’s bold move suggests they’re not waiting for Commissioner Atkins’ confirmation to take decisive action on crypto regulation. This implies the SEC might make more crypto-friendly moves even before Atkins takes office, potentially indicating an imminent XRP lawsuit settlement.
SEC’s XRP ETF Acknowledgements Spark Enthusiasm
Over the last few days, the SEC has taken significant steps towards potentially approving XRP ETFs. Particularly, the SEC acknowledged XRP ETF applications submitted by multiple asset managers including Grayscale, 21Shares, CoinShares, Bitwise, and Canary Capital.
This optimistic move, coupled with the SEC’s decision to drop the Coinbase case, has sparked speculations of an early XRP lawsuit settlement. Previously, Jeremy Hogan posited that the XRP lawsuit conclusion could be possible before the SEC’s approval of an XRP ETF.
Although the SEC’s ETF nod doesn’t assure approval, it has fueled community optimism about a potential ETF launch and lawsuit dismissal. As per wider speculations, with the SEC recognizing XRP ETF applications, a lawsuit dismissal is now within reach.
Nynu V Jamal
Nynu V Jamal is a passionate crypto journalist with three years of experience in blockchain, web3, and fintech spheres. She has established herself as a knowledgeable and engaging voice in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. Her experience as an Assistant Professor in English Language and Literature has further added to her quest for crafting informative, well-researched, and accessible content.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
The Pi coin finally launched on the mainnet today, which has already led to predictions on how high the crypto could rise following the launch. Now, crypto analyst Gem Hunter has provided a bullish outlook for the coin, suggesting that it could even surpass the XRP price after it gets listed on Binance.
Pi Coin Could Surpass XRP Price After Binance Listing
Gem Hunter recently suggested that the Pi coin price could surpass the XRP price after a potential Binance listing. In an X post, the analyst noted that Pi network’s chart doesn’t look bad at all and hinted that the current price was the bottom.
The analyst further remarked that the Pi coin had recorded almost $1 billion trading volume in eight hours despite listing on only a few centralized exchanges (CEXs). Gem Hunter stated that the real fun will start when Binance and other top crypto exchanges list Pi. As such, he urged market participants to buy the dip and hold.
The analyst’s accompanying chart showed that the Pi coin price could rally to as high as $2.8 when Binance and these top exchanges potentially list the coin. A rally to this price level could put Pi above the XRP price, which is currently trading at around $2.6.
It is worth mentioning that Binance is currently running a community poll on whether it should list Pi. Most community members have voted for the top crypto exchange to list the coin. As such, there is the possibility that Binance could list the crypto at some point, which would provide some bullish momentum for its price.
The Pi network mainnet officially launched today. Consequently, the Pi coin also went live on several exchanges, including OKX, and reached an all-time high (ATH) of $2.2 before witnessing a price correction.
XRP Price Could Surge Before Then
Crypto analyst Dark Defender recently predicted that the XRP price could surge to $3 soon enough, a move which would see the crypto surpass the projected $2.8 level for Pi coin. According to the analyst, XRP will see a break towards $2.77 first and then towards $3 “within hours.”
Meanwhile, in his analysis of XRP in the 12-hour time frame, crypto analyst Egrag Crypto noted that the coin has bounced off the low edge of the ascending triangle, showing bullish momentum. The analyst stated that targeting $2.83 is the next bullish milestone for XRP.
Egrag Crypto further remarked that a bullish signal will occur when XRP closes above the $2.90 and $3.10 range with confirmation. He claimed this would turn this range into strong support for a bullish continuation and a major milestone from a structural perspective.
The XRP price is already up today thanks to bullish fundamentals such as the SEC’s acknowledgment of the XRP ETFs and Hashdex’s XRP ETF, which is set to launch in Brazil.
Boluwatife Adeyemi
Boluwatife Adeyemi is a well-experienced crypto news writer and editor who has covered topics that cut across DeFi, NFTs, smart contracts, and blockchain interoperability, among others. Boluwatife has a knack for simplifying the most technical concepts and making it easy for crypto newbies to understand. Away from writing, He is an avid basketball lover and a part-time degen.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
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