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Moonwell’s ‘vibe-coded’ oracle in $1.8M blowup

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Moonwell's 'vibe-coded' oracle in $1.8M blowup

It was only a matter of time before “vibe-coded” smart contracts led to a significant loss of funds and on Sunday, an oracle misconfiguration led to users of DeFi lending platform Moonwell being liquidated for a total of 1,096 Coinbase Wrapped Staked Ether (cbETH).

The protocol was also saddled with $1.8 million worth of bad debt as a result.

The error was introduced in pull request 578, submitted by Moonwell core contributor “anajuliabit” and co-authored by Claude Opus 4.6.

Including this incident, Moonwell has suffered three oracle malfunctions in the past six months, leading to over $7 million in bad debt.

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Read more: Claude AI plugins can now vibe code smart contracts

cbETH = $1.12

Moonwell’s post-mortem report states that, this time, the issue lies in calculating the dollar price of cbETH.

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“The oracle used only the raw cbETH/ETH exchange rate. This misconfiguration caused the oracle to report cbETH’s price as approximately $1.12 (reflecting the cbETH/ETH ratio of ~1.12) rather than the intended market value of roughly $2,200,” the report explains.

As a result, the error “wiped out most or all of the cbETH collateral for many borrowers.”

A total of 1,096 cbETH was liquidated. In turn, $1.78 million worth of bad debt was generated for the protocol.

Monitoring systems picked up the discrepancy and strict borrow and supply caps were set to prevent further interaction.

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Despite this, liquidation of existing positions continued. Any oracle correction requires “a five-day governance voting and timelock period, which could not be bypassed.”

Trading Strategy’s Mikko Ohtamaa pointed out that “regardless of whether the code is written by an AI or by a human, these kinds of errors are caught in an automated integration test suite.”

He highlights that Claude can even write these tests itself, but that in this case “there was no test case for price sanity.”

Others highlighted the contributor’s GitHub profile which shows an extremely high workrate, over 1,000 commits in the past week.

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The dark side of the moon

Moonwell is a lending protocol active on the Base, Optimism, and Moonbeam networks. It holds around $90 million in total value locked (TVL), according to DeFiLlama data, down from a peak of $380 million in August last year.

Since then, the project has suffered a number of hiccups.

DeFi commentary account “Yieldsandmore” details two further incidents in recent months. The first came during last year’s infamous October 10 crash, when a pricing discrepancy between Chainlink feeds and decentralized exchanges on Base led to $12 million in liquidations and $1.7 million of bad debt.

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The second came less than a month later, on November 4, when the $129 million Balancer hack had a knock on effect on Moonwell’s market-based wrsETH/ETH oracle, leading to $3.7 million of bad debt.

The two incidents were apparently exploited by the same attacker, who is “clearly constantly scanning Moonwell for extractable value.”

Previously, 2022’s $190 million Nomad Bridge hack devastated the protocol’s Moonbeam deployment, its sole instance at the time.

The incident saw TVL drop 80%, from over $100 million to just $21 million.

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Crypto World

Bitcoin ETFs to surpass gold ETFs in size

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Crypto Breaking News

Bitcoin spot ETFs may soon surpass gold ETFs in assets under management, fracturing the long-standing narrative that “digital gold” is a perfect stand-in for investors seeking a safe haven. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart shared the view in an interview linked to the Coin Stories podcast, arguing that Bitcoin’s multiple use cases — from store of value to growth asset and liquidity driver — create a broader appeal than gold, which the market typically frames in a single light.

“There are just more use cases of why somebody would put a Bitcoin ETF in a portfolio,” Seyffart said on the podcast. He emphasized Bitcoin’s roles as a store of value, a portfolio diversifier, a form of digital capital, and even a growth-risk asset, suggesting that the crypto may attract a wider spectrum of investors than gold over time. While gold has historically served as a hedge against monetary debasement, Bitcoin’s evolving narrative as both a digital asset and a potential macro hedge underpins the case for larger ETF demand in the years ahead.

Key takeaways

  • Bitcoin ETFs could grow to exceed gold ETFs in total assets under management as demand broadens beyond the traditional “digital gold” story, according to James Seyffart, a Bloomberg ETF analyst.
  • March ETF flows show divergent momentum: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted about $1.32 billion in net inflows, while U.S. gold ETFs recorded net outflows of roughly $2.92 billion.
  • A single-day move underscored fragility in precious metals: GLD, the flagship gold ETF, posted a $3 billion withdrawal on March 4, the largest daily outflow in more than two years.
  • Longer-run macro signals remain mixed, with data suggesting a rotation dynamic between gold and Bitcoin rather than a single clear trend; Fidelity highlighted a historical pattern of leadership rotating between the two assets.

Flow dynamics in March: what they reveal about narrative shifts

The contrast in March ETF flows underscores shifting investor appetites for duration, liquidity, and narrative potential. Gold ETFs in the United States posted net outflows totaling about $2.92 billion in March, signaling renewed challenges for the traditional safe-haven metal in a period of evolving macro cues. In the same month, US spot Bitcoin ETFs drew approximately $1.32 billion in net inflows, illustrating a growing appetite for crypto exposure in diversified portfolios.

The divergence sits against a broader context in which Bitcoin and gold have moved more cohesively in recent weeks despite the divergent flows. The data points to a market that is re-evaluating the roles of these two hedges and growth assets in a landscape of persistent inflation concerns, evolving monetary policy expectations, and expanding acceptance of crypto-based investment products.

Gold’s pullback and retail versus institutional dynamics

Several pressures shaped gold’s March performance. The largest daily outflow in over two years hit GLD on March 4, reflecting sell-side and perhaps macro rotation pressures that have periodically punctured the gold regime. Meanwhile, more broad-based BIS data — cited by Cointelegraph — show retail gold purchases tripling over the past six months, while Wall Street selling has accelerated over the last four months. The juxtaposition implies a nuanced narrative: retail demand remains resilient even as institutional appetite shifts toward crypto exposure and related investment vehicles.

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These dynamics sit alongside anecdotal expectations that a growing cadre of investors view Bitcoin as a “growth risk asset,” complementary to its role as a hedge-friendly reserve. The evolving taxonomy — Bitcoin as a stores of value, digital currency with intrinsic scarcity, and liquidity-rich growth asset — contributes to a broader array of reasons to own a Bitcoin ETF beyond simply “digital gold.”

Price action and broader market context

As of publication, Bitcoin traded around $66,918, down about 8% over the prior 30 days, according to CoinMarketCap data. Gold hovered near $4,676 per ounce, down about 8.25% over the same period, per GoldPrice metrics. The near-term move preserves the sense that both assets have faced headwinds in a mixed macro backdrop, yet the flow data suggests that investor interest in Bitcoin ETFs remains persistent and possibly expanding even as gold faces episodic outflows.

The longer-term rotation story received some color from Fidelity Digital Assets analyst Chris Kuiper. In December 2025, Kuiper noted that historically gold and Bitcoin have rotated leadership, with gold performing strongly at times and Bitcoin catching up in others. That framework remains relevant as market participants weigh regulatory clarity, ETF availability, and the evolving ecosystem around Bitcoin-based investment products.

Implications for investors and markets

The potential overtaking of gold ETFs by Bitcoin ETFs in AUM would mark a notable shift in how investors allocate capital in search of diversification, liquidity, and growth exposure. If Bitcoin ETFs continue to capture inflows beyond the “digital gold” narrative, the market could see a broader base of participants embracing crypto exposure through regulated vehicles. This would not only change the composition of ETF portfolios but could also influence liquidity, product development, and the pace at which financial institutions bring more crypto-enabled offerings to retail and high-net-worth investors alike.

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From a portfolio-management perspective, the idea of Bitcoin acting as hot sauce in a diversified mix is persuasive for those seeking a growth-oriented, liquidity-rich sleeve within a broader asset allocation. Yet the data also underscores the need for caution and continued monitoring of regulatory developments, product approvals, and market structure changes that shape the appeal and risk profile of spot BTC ETFs.

In practical terms, readers should watch ETF inflow trends in the coming quarters, the rate of new product approvals, and the evolving evidence on how Bitcoin-based funds perform relative to gold during different macro regimes. The March data points demonstrate that the narrative around Bitcoin ETFs is gaining traction in investor discourse, even as gold maintains its own complex set of drivers and vulnerabilities.

Beyond price moves, the debate now centers on whether Bitcoin ETFs can sustain and broaden their appeal to a broader investor universe — from traditional equity and bond strategists to macro hedge funds and retail savers seeking diversified exposure. If inflows continue and more products arrive, the BTC ETF story may transition from a niche crypto offering to a core component of diversified portfolios.

What matters next is the trajectory of ETF approvals and listings, clear and consistent data on inflows across different regimes, and how macro factors like inflation momentum and monetary policy directions shape the risk-reward calculus for these funds. Investors should stay attentive to monthly flow prints, regulatory signals, and the evolving narrative around Bitcoin’s role in modern asset allocation.

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As the market awaits further clarity, the ongoing dialogue around Bitcoin’s ETF potential points to a future where crypto exposure becomes an increasingly standard instrument within traditional investment frameworks. The next few quarters will be telling, as inflows, product breadth, and price action converge to reveal whether Bitcoin ETFs can definitively eclipse gold ETFs in practical assets under management.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Bitcoin ETFs Will Be Bigger Than Gold ETFs, Says ETF Analyst

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Bitcoin ETFs Will Be Bigger Than Gold ETFs, Says ETF Analyst

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could surpass gold ETFs in total assets under management (AUM) as investor demand expands beyond the traditional “digital gold” narrative, according to ETF analyst James Seyffart.

“There are just more use cases of why somebody would put a Bitcoin ETF in a portfolio,” Seyffart said on the Coin Stories podcast published to YouTube on Friday. He pointed to Bitcoin’s (BTC) role as digital gold, a store of value, a portfolio diversifier, and a form of digital capital and property, adding that the market also views Bitcoin as a “growth risk asset.”

Seyffart explained that Bitcoin has “all these different ways” of being viewed, while gold only has “one of those things.”

“Our view is that Bitcoin ETFs will be larger than gold ETFs,” he added.

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Bitcoin ETFs are a “hot sauce” in the portfolio

“There are so many people that could use it. They could be viewing it to put in their portfolio because they want to bet on like a growth and liquidity trade,” he said. “It can be hot sauce in a portfolio in that way,” he added.

Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart spoke to Natalie Brunell on the Coin Stories podcast. Source: Coin Stories

Bitcoin is often compared to gold due to its limited supply and perceived role as a hedge against monetary debasement. 

US-based gold ETFs recorded net outflows of $2.92 billion in March, while US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $1.32 billion in net inflows over the same period.

Gold and BTC have declined over the past 30 days

The largest US gold-backed ETF, GLD, recorded a $3 billion outflow on Mar. 4, the largest daily withdrawal in more than two years.

On Mar. 19, Cointelegraph cited data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) showing retail gold purchases have tripled over the last six months, while Wall Street selling has accelerated over the past four months.

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Despite the divergence in ETF flows, both assets have moved broadly in tandem in recent weeks.

Bitcoin is trading at $66,918 at the time of publication, down 8.07% over the past 30 days, according to CoinMarketCap. Meanwhile, gold is trading at $4,676, down 8.25% over the past 30 days, according to GoldPrice data.

In December 2025, Fidelity Digital Assets analyst Chris Kuiper said that, “historically, gold and Bitcoin have taken turns outperforming. With gold shining in 2025, it would not be surprising if Bitcoin takes the lead next.”

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