10. June 2023

Alameda Research Liquidators Lose $72K in DeFi Mishap

• Alameda Research liquidators lost $72,000 worth of digital assets while attempting to consolidate funds into a single multisignature wallet on decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Aave.
• The liquidators were attempting to close a borrow position on Aave but instead removed extra collateral used for the position, putting the assets at risk of liquidation.
• Over the past two weeks, around $1.4 million of tokens has been returned to a central multisig from scattered Alameda wallets, but significant sums of capital still remain stranded in over 50 Alameda wallets.

Alameda Research’s liquidators have been struggling to recover funds for creditors, and recently have encountered a sizable setback. A crypto analytics firm, Arkham, has revealed that the liquidators have lost $72,000 worth of digital assets while attempting to consolidate funds into a single multisignature wallet on decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Aave.

The liquidators were attempting to close a borrow position on Aave, but instead, inadvertently removed the extra collateral used for the position, leaving the assets exposed to liquidation. In a series of tweets, Arkham described how the loan was liquidated twice over the course of nine days, resulting in the loss of around 4 Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), amounting to $72,000.

While the liquidators were able to recover some funds, Arkham reported that over the past two weeks, around $1.4 million of tokens had been returned to a central multisig from scattered Alameda wallets. However, significant sums of capital still remain stranded in over 50 Alameda wallets, the largest of which is worth over $14 million.

The liquidators have been met with numerous obstacles in their attempt to recover funds for creditors, and this recent loss of $72,000 only adds to the difficulty of their efforts. It is yet to be seen what measures will be taken to ensure the safe return of the remaining funds, and whether or not the liquidators will be able to recoup the lost $72,000.