Binance Hacker Launders Stolen SOL into BTC via THORChain

1 hour ago 3 sources negative

Key takeaways:

  • Hacker laundering via THORChain may intensify regulatory scrutiny on decentralized swap protocols and cross-chain liquidity.
  • SOL-to-BTC laundering signals stolen assets rotating into Bitcoin, pressuring privacy tools and bridges.
  • Large frozen balance limits hacker liquidity but leaves $3.18B theft-linked addresses as ongoing market overhang.

A wallet linked to the Binance hacker has continued moving stolen funds across blockchains, depositing 8,567 SOL into Privacy Cash, according to Onchain Lens on November 3. The monitoring account valued those transfers at roughly $798,000 and noted similar activity across other addresses.

Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic reported that about 87,000 SOL had left the original Binance theft wallet by 08:40 UTC on November 3, worth approximately $8 million. The funds moved through new wallets, lending vaults, and a liquid-staking service before being sold or converted into Bitcoin.

Elliptic also traced around 28 BTC from the theft through 18 CoinJoin transactions between November 1 and early November 2. Its November 3 assessment placed roughly $3.18 billion in theft-linked addresses, mainly in Ethereum and Bitcoin, while another $2.85 billion had been frozen or seized.

Separately, influencer WuBlockchain highlighted that the hacker is using THORChain to launder stolen SOL into BTC. The reported flow involves selling dispersed SOL for USDC, bridging the USDC to Ethereum to purchase ETH, then swapping ETH into BTC via THORChain. This has raised concerns that decentralized exchanges can be exploited for illicit activity and may attract heightened regulatory scrutiny.

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