Crypto World
February Inflation Data Stable, But Iran Conflict Threatens New Price Surge
TLDR
- February’s Consumer Price Index increased 2.4% year-over-year, aligned with analyst predictions
- Core inflation (stripping out food and energy costs) registered at 2.5% annually, meeting forecasts
- Report captures timeframe prior to U.S.-Israel coordinated strikes against Iran
- Crude oil has jumped approximately 18% since late February, while pump prices climbed 20%
- Federal Reserve anticipated to maintain current interest rate range of 3.5%–3.75% at upcoming meeting
While February’s inflation report appeared reassuring at first glance, the underlying narrative reveals a more complex situation unfolding.
The Consumer Price Index advanced 0.3% month-over-month in February and climbed 2.4% on an annual basis. These metrics aligned precisely with economist projections. Meanwhile, core CPI—which excludes volatile food and energy categories—increased 0.2% monthly and 2.5% yearly, similarly matching consensus estimates.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics published these figures on Wednesday, March 11.
Both energy and food categories showed increases during February, though these changes were relatively contained compared to subsequent developments following the data collection period.
Crucially, this report reflects conditions that existed before coordinated U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran commenced in late February. Those hostilities have subsequently created significant disruptions throughout global energy markets.
Iran Crisis Delivers Major Shock to Energy Sector
The Strait of Hormuz—a critical chokepoint handling approximately 20% of worldwide oil shipments—has experienced a dramatic reduction in tanker movement. Intelligence reports suggest Iran has deployed naval mines throughout the waterway, prompting President Trump to warn of potential additional military responses.
Brent crude futures stood near $92 per barrel at press time, following an earlier spike to almost $120 this week. Motorists across America have seen gasoline costs surge 20% as a direct consequence.
Bank of America’s economist Stephen Juneau noted that petroleum prices have climbed roughly 18% since February concluded. He indicated that sustained conflict would probably generate upward pressure on both headline and underlying inflation measures in coming months.
The International Energy Agency has put forward its most substantial strategic reserve release proposal to date aimed at market stabilization, the Wall Street Journal reported. IEA member countries were scheduled to vote on this initiative Wednesday. The prior record stood at 182 million barrels, authorized following Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion.
Implications for Federal Reserve Policy
The Fed’s favored inflation metric—the Personal Consumption Expenditures index—registered 2.9% annually in December. This remains substantially above the central bank’s 2% objective. January’s PCE figures are scheduled for Friday release, with forecasters anticipating a 3.1% annual rate.
Market indicators suggest the Federal Reserve will almost certainly maintain its current rate posture during next week’s policy meeting, preserving the 3.5%–3.75% band, per CME FedWatch tracking data.
Employment trends add another dimension of complexity to the Fed’s calculus. The U.S. economy surprisingly shed 92,000 positions last month, elevating the unemployment rate to 4.4%.
President Trump indicated earlier this week the military operations might conclude “very soon,” though U.S. and Israeli forces have maintained strikes across multiple Iranian targets throughout the Middle East region.
Crypto World
Gold Price Analysis: How Iran Conflict and Surging Oil Keep Precious Metal Above $5,000
Key Highlights
- Precious metal slipped 0.1% to approximately $5,187 per ounce Wednesday, maintaining levels well above $5,000
- Escalating oil costs, fueled by Middle East conflict involving the U.S. and Israel, are stoking inflation concerns
- Critical Strait of Hormuz passage has been essentially closed, putting approximately 20% of worldwide oil and gas shipments at risk
- February’s U.S. Consumer Price Index registered 2.4% annually, meeting expectations but covering pre-conflict period
- Financial markets anticipate Federal Reserve will maintain current rates at upcoming March 18 policy meeting
The precious metal market remained relatively stable Wednesday as competing pressures balanced each other out. Spot gold declined a modest 0.1% to approximately $5,187 per ounce, while futures contracts for April delivery fell 0.9% to roughly $5,194.

The yellow metal has experienced significant swings since reaching a near-peak of approximately $5,600 per ounce in the final weeks of January. Despite the subsequent retreat, prices have consistently remained above the $5,000 threshold.
The military confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran reached its twelfth consecutive day Wednesday, with aerial bombardments persisting among all parties involved. President Trump indicated Monday evening that hostilities were nearing conclusion, though actual combat operations demonstrated little evidence of de-escalation.
The ongoing military engagement has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor responsible for transporting approximately one-fifth of global petroleum and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Oil prices gained ground Wednesday as traders expressed skepticism about whether the International Energy Agency’s unprecedented reserve release initiative could adequately compensate for potential Middle Eastern supply shortfalls.
Escalating energy costs are elevating inflation projections. This development weighs on gold because it diminishes the probability of Federal Reserve interest rate reductions. Since the precious metal generates no yield, it becomes less appealing when borrowing costs remain elevated or increase.
An appreciating U.S. dollar combined with climbing Treasury yields are applying additional downward force on gold values. A robust dollar increases the cost of gold for international purchasers.
Consumer Price Data Meets Projections
The Labor Department disclosed Wednesday that American consumer prices advanced 2.4% during the twelve-month period ending February, aligning with both the previous month’s figure and expert predictions.
On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3%, accelerating from January’s 0.2% gain. Both energy and food expenses registered increases. The core Consumer Price Index, which excludes volatile food and energy components, posted a 2.5% year-over-year reading, matching January’s level.
Nevertheless, the February data predominantly reflects conditions before the Iran confrontation commenced in late February. Market observers anticipate March statistics will reveal a more pronounced inflationary uptick.
Upcoming Fed Meeting and PCE Release
Market participants are currently focused on two crucial forthcoming data releases. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index for January arrives Friday, with forecasters projecting a 3.1% annual rate.
The PCE serves as the Federal Reserve’s primary inflation gauge and has registered higher readings than CPI throughout recent months.
The Federal Reserve’s two-day policy gathering wraps up March 18. Market consensus strongly anticipates officials will keep interest rates unchanged.
Swissquote analyst Carlo Alberto De Casa observed that market participants seem to be expanding their positions in gold as a protective asset amid the continuing Middle East crisis.
Spot gold was quoted at $5,187 per ounce during Wednesday’s European trading session.
Crypto World
ECB Launches Appia Project to Shape Tokenized Markets
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Wednesday published its Appia roadmap, setting out a long-term plan for building tokenized wholesale financial markets in Europe anchored in central bank money.
The roadmap is built around two linked initiatives. Pontes is the Eurosystem’s distributed ledger technology settlement solution, while Appia is the broader strategic framework for developing a future tokenized financial ecosystem. The ECB said Pontes is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2026.
“With Appia, we are building a road from today’s financial system to tomorrow’s tokenized markets, firmly grounded in central bank money,” ECB executive board member Piero Cipollone said.
Pontes is the Eurosystem’s DLT solution, while Appia is a strategic roadmap
Pontes, a key component of the Appia roadmap, introduces the Eurosystem’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) solution, designed to enable central bank money settlement for market transactions through interoperable networks.
The Eurosystem is the monetary authority of the euro area, comprising the ECB and the national central banks of the EU member states that have adopted the euro.
By the end of the third quarter of 2026, Pontes aims to bridge market DLT infrastructures with the Eurosystem’s “TARGET” Services, which stands for Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross settlement Express Transfer system.

TARGET Services are a set of Eurosystem-operated payment and settlement systems that support euro-denominated transactions across Europe. They include three main types: TARGET2 for large-value payments, T2S for securities settlement and TIPS for instant payments.
ECB invites public and private sector stakeholder feedback
Alongside the launch, the ECB opened a public consultation and invited both public- and private-sector participants to comment on the roadmap and express interest in contributing to its implementation.
The consultation is divided into two parts: Part one collects feedback on specific chapters of the roadmap, which may be published with the respondent’s name, while part two allows stakeholders to submit proposals to actively contribute to Appia’s building blocks, with responses treated confidentially.
Related: Tokenized stocks surpass $1B as Ondo, xStocks dominate sector
Responses will help shape the long-term blueprint for Europe’s tokenized financial ecosystem. All feedback must be submitted via the online survey by April 22.
The Appia rollout also comes as the ECB continues work on the digital euro. Earlier this month, the central bank said it planned to begin selecting payment service providers in 2026 ahead of a 12-month pilot scheduled to start in the second half of 2027.
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Crypto World
Wells Fargo Files Trademark for ‘WFUSD’ Crypto Services Platform
US banking giant Wells Fargo has filed a trademark application covering a wide range of cryptocurrency trading, payments and blockchain software services.
A filing submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Tuesday seeks protection for the name “WFUSD.” The application is currently awaiting assignment to an examining attorney, according to official trademark records.
The filing outlines a broad list of potential products and services linked to digital assets, including “cryptocurrency trading services; cryptocurrency exchange services; cryptocurrency payment processing; financial brokerage services for cryptocurrency trading; electronic transfer of virtual currencies.”
The trademark also covers software tools designed for blockchain ecosystems. The application lists downloadable software for staking digital assets, accessing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), managing crypto wallets and executing digital asset trades.
Related: Western Union’s ‘WUUSD’ trademark hints at crypto offerings
Wells Fargo filing includes staking and tokenization
Other services mentioned in the filing include cryptocurrency payment processing, electronic transfers of virtual currencies and financial data feeds providing price information to blockchain-based smart contracts.
In addition to trading infrastructure, Wells Fargo’s trademark application references software-as-a-service platforms for tokenizing assets, verifying blockchain transactions and enabling cryptocurrency staking operations. The filing also includes authentication services and blockchain-based data transmission tools used in decentralized applications.
While trademark filings do not guarantee a product launch, companies often use them to secure branding for potential future offerings.
Wells Fargo is a prominent American multinational financial services company and one of the “Big Four” US banks.
Related: South Korean bank stocks surge on stablecoin trademark filings
Banks ramp up stablecoin push
The new trademark filing comes after several major US banks, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo itself, reportedly discussed a joint stablecoin project in 2025.
Earlier this year, Fidelity Digital Assets also launched the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), a 1:1 US dollar-pegged, fully collateralized stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain.
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Crypto World
SlowMist Introduces Security Framework for Autonomous AI Agents in Crypto
Cybersecurity company SlowMist has introduced a five-layer security framework for AI and Web3 agents, pitching it as a way to reduce the growing risks that come with autonomous systems handling onchain actions and digital assets.
In a Wednesday blog post, the company said the framework centers on a user’s AI agents and combines governance controls through its AI Development Security Solution, or ADSS, with execution-layer tools including OpenClaw, MistEye Skill, MistTrack Skill and MistAgent. The company said the system is designed to create a closed-loop process of checks before execution, constraints during execution and review afterward.
SlowMist’s so-called “digital fortress” aims to defend against risks including prompt injection, supply chain poisoning attacks, data leaks and asset loss due to unauthorized operations or AI agent behavior exploits. It also seeks to reduce risks without sacrificing AI efficiency.

Autonomos AI agents introduce new attack surface in business operations
The push comes as more crypto firms experiment with autonomous tools for trading and execution, introducing “new attack surfaces,” such as supply chain poisoning, which has become a new entry point for hackers embedding secret backdoors into devices, according to SlowMist.
The framework’s governance layer, ADSS, aims to establish auditable security standards for organizations to prevent these risks. It includes AI agent permission constraints, real-time threat checks for external interactions and strengthened onchain risk detection.

ADDS’ core value lies in improving “scattered security actions” into a systematic operation that is “executable, auditable, and sustainable,” SlowMist said.
Related: OpenAI eyes trillion-dollar IPO amid global AI arms race: Report
Autonomous crypto trading bots on the rise
Crypto companies are launching more autonomous crypto trading bots. On Jan. 21, crypto intelligence platform Nansen launched autonomous crypto trading tools that enabled users to execute trades through AI agents and natural language prompts, with cross-chain execution on the Base and Solana blockchains.
Other companies that launched no-code AI trading agents include Coinbase, Bitget, Walbi and Gate.io. These solutions seek to lower barriers to entry for retail investors through automated strategies and conversational interfaces.
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Crypto World
DOJ investigates Iran’s alleged use of Binance as exchange sues Wall Street Journal
Binance filed a defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, on the same day the newspaper published a report claiming the U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Iran used the world’s largest crypto exchange to move funds in violation of American sanctions.
In the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the company said the newspaper published “false and defamatory statements” about its compliance practices and handling of Iran-linked transactions in an article published on Feb. 23.
In that article, the Journal said Binance fired staff who flagged funds moving through the exchange to sanctioned entities, allegations Binance rejected. The lawsuit says Binance did not fire employees for raising compliance concerns. Staff departures stemmed from alleged breaches of internal data protection policies rather than retaliation, it said.
“Binance categorically did not dismantle any compliance investigation,” a spokesperson for the exchange told CoinDesk. “The WSJ continues to report the same falsities. As a result, we have filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for defamation.”
In Wednesday’s story, the Journal said DOJ officials contacted individuals with knowledge of the transactions as they gathered evidence tied to cryptocurrencies that moved through the platform. It cited people familiar with the situation. It is unclear whether the department is examining potential wrongdoing by Binance itself or focusing only on customers who used the exchange, it said.
Binance fires back
In a blog post published Wednesday, the exchange addressed the Journal’s February report point by point. It said the $1.7 billion in flagged funds “did not originate at Binance and did not end at Binance,” passing instead through multiple independent intermediaries, with “the vast majority of funds” having “no confirmed Iranian nexus.”
The newspaper had said internal investigators had flagged crypto transfers from Chinese clients into wallets linked to Iranian financing networks. A large share of the funds, more than $1 billion, allegedly flowed through Blessed Trust, a Hong Kong-based payments company that worked with the exchange.
Binance said its investigators were “granted immediate access” to the Blessed Trust account, which “was repeatedly renewed, as confirmed by system logs.”
It says it identified the suspicious activity through information from law enforcement and its own internal investigation, then reported the activity and removed the accounts involved.
Earlier this month, it told a U.S. Senate investigation it found no evidence that accounts on its platform transacted directly with Iranian entities.
“The truth is that Binance’s investigation continued and uncovered a sophisticated, multi-jurisdictional pattern of financial activity spanning Asia, the Middle East, and beyond,” the spokesperson said. “Binance mapped this complex activity, offboarded the relevant user accounts, and reported to law enforcement.”
The company says it “cooperates fully with law enforcement” and employs more than 1,500 staff in compliance and risk roles, equivalent to around 25% of its global headcount.
Legal spotlight
The suit and probe return Binance to the legal spotlight.
In 2020, it sued Forbes for making false allegations against the company. That suit was dropped several months later.
In 2023, the company pleaded guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties. Founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao also pleaded guilty to a related charge and served four months in prison before receiving a presidential pardon in October 2025.
As part of the settlement, Binance operates under a U.S.-appointed compliance monitor. That monitor has also requested records related to the Iranian-linked transfers.
UPDATE (March 11, 13:00 UTC): Adds Binance statement, court case details and details from Journal report starting in third paragraph.
Crypto World
Strive (ASST) buys 179 BTC, raises SATA dividend, and purchases $50 million of MSTR’s Stretch
Roughed-up bitcoin treasury company Strive (ASST) announced a number of balance sheet moves on Wednesday.
The company purchased an additional 179 bitcoin, bringing total holdings to 13,311 BTC, worth about $930 million at current prices.
Strive also lifted the dividend on its perpetual preferred security SATA by 25 basis points to 12.75%. SATA was ahead 1.4%, but still trading well below par at $96.22.
The company also announced the purchase $50 million of Strategy’s (MSTR) perpetual preferred stock, STRC, which currently yields 11.5%.
Among a large group of companies quickly formed in 2025 to try and mimic the success of Michael Saylor’s Strategy, Strive has struggled, losing more than 90% of its value since its summer 2025 peak and recently having to undertake a 1:20 reverse stock split to keep its share price above $1.
ASST was higher by 2.2% early Wednesday as bitcoin re-took the $70,000 level.
Crypto World
BTC manages quick gain as oil drops $3 per barrel
After retreating back to the $69,000 area during early U.S. morning hours Wednesday, bitcoin has quickly spiked to nearly $71,000.
Other crypto assets, including ether (ETH), solana (SOL) and XRP, saw the same sharp moves higher.
The gains appeared to come as crude oil quickly reversed most of its session’s large gains, dropping $3 per barrel in a matter of minutes. At press time, WTI crude futures for April were at $85, up 2% for the day.
Crude’s drop also benefited stocks, with the Nasdaq moving from a small decline to a gain of 0.5% in early U.S. trade.
Crypto-related shares were mixed, with Strategy (MSTR), Galaxy Digital (GLXY) and Bullish (BLSH) posting modest advances, while Coinbase (COIN) and eToro (ETOR) were slightly lower.
With the ongoing war against Iran, risk markets this week have been mostly ruled by oil’s price action. Stocks and crypto plunged on Sunday evening as oil surged to $120, but then gained as oil quickly retreated.
Fresh inflation data
Wednesday’s February CPI report was in line with economist forecasts, up 0.3% on a month-to-month basis, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.4%. Next month, however, could show a much different picture due to the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war, posing the question of whether the Federal Reserve will respond to the temporary shock or take a more hawkish stance after being caught off guard during the last inflation cycle.
Stephen Coltman, head of macro at 21shares says the Fed’s choice will be critical, noting that investors will be watching next week’s Fed meeting closely for signs on how officials plan to react.
As for bitcoin, the rise in next month’s data is likely “already baked in the cake,” he said.
Crypto World
Arthur Hayes Deploys Net Liquidity Strategy: Not Buying BTC Now Even If He Has Only $1
Arthur Hayes has officially stopped buying Bitcoin ($BTC). The BitMEX co-founder says he will not deploy fresh capital until the Federal Reserve explicitly expands the money supply.
With Bitcoin struggling to break resistance, Hayes is tracking a specific “Net Liquidity” metric that suggests the current rally lacks fundamental fuel.
He is waiting for the centralized banking cartel to restart the money printer before chasing the market any higher.
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Why Arthur Hayes Is Slamming the Brakes on Bitcoin
Hayes’s hesitation stems from his Net Liquidity framework, a formula that subtracts the Treasury General Account (TGA) and Reverse Repo (RRP) balances from the Fed’s total balance sheet.
While nominal prices are high, real dollar liquidity has not expanded enough to support a sustained breakout above $90,000. Hayes views the current market as a trap for traders expecting a straight line up.
“If I had $1 to invest right now, would I be putting it into Bitcoin? No. I would wait,” Hayes said on a podcast. He argues that while geopolitical tensions usually drive safe-haven assets, the only thing that truly matters for Macro Crypto cycles is fiat debasement.
This thesis is reinforced by market data showing Bitcoin decoupling from traditional bond yields, a divergence that historically signals impending volatility.
Hayes warns that without an immediate pivot back to Quantitative Easing, the “American war machine” alone cannot sustain asset prices. He believes the market is pricing in liquidity that hasn’t arrived yet. If the Fed refuses to loosen its monetary policy, Hayes predicts the current chop could move downwards.
He is positioning for a scenario where the TGA drains slowly, leaving risk assets starved for capital in the short term. Only when the printing press whirs to life will the Net Liquidity conditions turn green for aggressive accumulation.
The Levels to Watch for Bitcoin
Bitcoin Price Analysis currently shows a market caught between institutional accumulation and macro exhaustion. Bitcoin is trading under the $90,000 psychological ceiling, a level that has rejected bulls multiple times. Hayes suggests that a failure here could trigger a slide toward $60,000, flushing out late longs.
$60,000 is the level that matters most. If price action breaks below this support, Hayes anticipates a “massive sell-off” driven by cascading liquidations. Concurrently, Wall Street is buying Bitcoin strategically but is not yet invested enough to chase breakouts unconditionally.

Conversely, the bull case requires a definitive reclaim of $90,000 on high volume. If spot buyers can push through this resistance, the path to $100,000 opens up quickly, invalidating the bearish liquidity thesis.
Traders looking for confirmation might look at simple math that nailed the last BTC bottom to identify safe entry points if Hayes’ predicted dip materializes.
If Net Liquidity remains flat, Bitcoin likely ranges sideways or bleeds slowly. But if the Fed is forced to cut rates due to external shocks, the $90,000 cap will likely shatter overnight.
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The post Arthur Hayes Deploys Net Liquidity Strategy: Not Buying BTC Now Even If He Has Only $1 appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto World
Oracle error adds to turmoil at DeFi giant Aave
Almost $27 million worth of liquidations were triggered on DeFi lending giant Aave yesterday, thanks to a faulty price cap oracle update.
The Correlated Asset Price Oracle (CAPO), run by risk manager Chaos Labs, sets caps for the price ratio between correlated assets, in order to protect against price manipulation attacks on the protocol.
In a post to the Aave governance forum, Chaos Labs explained that, due to a timestamp mismatch, the price ratio between wstETH and stETH was capped below the current market rate, causing a price drop of 2.85%.
This was enough to liquidate those positions close enough to the liquidation threshold.
The company’s dashboard (filtered for wstETH) shows $21.2 million of liquidations on Aave’s Ethereum Core instance, and a further $5.7 million on its Prime instance.

Read more: Aave developer BDG Labs to ‘cease contribution’ after DAO drama
Chaos Labs’ founder, Omer Goldberg, promised that “all affected users will be fully reimbursed.” He says that, since launching over a year ago, its oracles “have streamed over 1,200 payloads for ~3k+ parameters, with zero incidents.”
While the protocol didn’t suffer bad debt, liquidators profited approximately 500 ether (ETH) worth $875,000. Around 30% of this (154 ETH) was recovered, and will be used to reimburse users, with the remainder coming from the Aave treasury.
A similar pricing error resulted in $1.8 million of bad debt DeFi protocol Moonwell last month.
In an AI-coauthored update, the ratio between ETH and cbETH was used to price cbETH in dollars, liquidating borrowers whose collateral was suddenly worth $1.12 instead of around $2,200.
The damage for Aave may not have been too severe this time, but one blockchain security professional questioned why the changes aren’t run through a transaction simulation before going live, a simple sanity check which could prevent more serious losses, and even bad debt, in future.
Aave in crisis
The malfunction comes during a period of tumult for decentralized finance’s number one protocol.
Since December last year, the DAO and Aave Labs have been in dispute over who really controls Aave. The spat has seen DAO service providers accuse founder Stani Kulechov’s Aave Labs of playing dirty and pushing through plans for an upcoming v4 of the protocol.
Indeed, two key service providers have recently thrown in the towel.
Developer BGD Labs left last month over Labs’ snubbing of the wildly successful v3, in favor of the Labs-developed v4.
Shortly after, Marc Zeller’s ACI reached “breaking point” following the recent Aave Will Win vote, which swung narrowly in Labs’ favor.
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Crypto World
Aave Oracle Glitch Causes $27M Liquidations: CAPO Misconfiguration Confirmed
A misconfigured Oracle system in Aave triggered $27 million in forced liquidations on March 10, undervaluing wrapped staked Ether by 2.85% against its actual market rate.
According to the post-mortem by Chaos Labs, the CAPO oracle error caused Aave V3 Ethereum Core and Prime instances to apply an exchange rate of roughly 1.1939 wstETH-per-ETH when the live onchain rate was approximately 1.228, enough of a gap to push 34 high-leverage E-Mode positions below their liquidation thresholds automatically.
It resulted in the liquidation of 10,938 wstETH. The protocol says it incurred no bad debt and is moving to compensate all affected users.
The Damage: 34 Users, $27M in Liquidations, and 499 ETH in Bot Profits
The oracle glitch liquidated 34 users, with the total volume reaching $27 million in wstETH positions.
Liquidation bots moved quickly, capturing 499 ETH in bonuses, approximately $1.2 million, by executing against positions that should not have been eligible for liquidation at that moment.
Aave founder and CEO Stani Kulechov confirmed in a Wednesday post that the protocol generated no bad debt from the incident.
Of the 499 ETH that went to liquidators, Aave recaptured 141 ETH ($285,000) through BuilderNet refunds and an additional 13 ETH in liquidation fees.
Those recovered funds will flow directly to affected users as compensation, with DAO treasury funds covering any remaining shortfall up to the full 345 ETH identified as the excess liquidation windfall.
Lido contributors confirmed the event had no connection to wstETH or the Lido staking protocol itself; the issue originated entirely within Aave’s oracle configuration layer.
With Ethereum price defending the $2,000 support zone around the time of the incident, the liquidation values were amplified by the broader market context for ETH-denominated collateral.
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Chaos Labs Confirms Aave CAPO Oracle Misconfiguration: Here Is What They Found
Chaos Labs, Aave’s external risk management partner, confirmed the incident stemmed from what it described as an onchain configuration misalignment under differing onchain update constraints, not a design flaw in the CAPO system or in the core oracle infrastructure of Aave.
The team emphasized that Chaos Risk Oracles had processed over 1,200 payloads and more than 3,000 parameters across Aave markets without incident prior to March 10.

Chaos Labs quickly contained the situation: borrow caps on wstETH were reduced immediately, and snapshot parameters were manually realigned to restore oracle accuracy. Kulechov noted in his public statement that the configuration issue had already been remediated by the time the post-mortem was published, and praised the team’s response speed in limiting broader DeFi risk contagion.
The Aave governance post-mortem marks this as the first operational failure in CAPO’s deployment history on Aave V3, despite more than a year of live operation across multiple markets.
What Traders and Aave Users Are Watching Next
The immediate focus is on the full reimbursement timeline. Aave DAO service providers are finalizing compensation for all 34 affected users following the initial 141 ETH refund via BuilderNet, with a formal governance announcement expected shortly.
Beyond compensation, governance teams are conducting a broader review of CAPO parameters across all Aave markets, updating stale snapshots and building out enhanced monitoring to flag rate divergences before they reach liquidation-threshold proximity.
Whether that review produces binding parameter update standards or remains advisory is the governance question to watch.
If the DAO formalizes automated CAPO sync requirements and publishes updated risk oracle documentation, the incident may ultimately strengthen Aave’s operational credibility. If the review stalls at the discussion stage, the reputational cost will compound the financial one.
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The post Aave Oracle Glitch Causes $27M Liquidations: CAPO Misconfiguration Confirmed appeared first on Cryptonews.
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