The controversial exchange eXch plans to close its doors in May after facing allegations that it laundered crypto stolen in the record-setting Bybit exploit earlier this year.
In February, hackers looted nearly $1.5 billion worth of Ethereum (ETH) and Lido Staked Ether (stETH) from Bybit in the largest crypto theft ever and possibly the biggest heist in world history.
The blockchain research firm Elliptic, pseudonymous on-chain investigator ZachXBT and other researchers pinned the exploit on the Lazarus Group, a prolific North Korean cybercriminal outfit known for numerous high-profile hacks on major crypto platforms.
Elliptic also said that Lazarus used eXch as part of its process to launder the stolen crypto. The exchange denied the money-laundering allegations, though it did cop to processing an “insignificant” portion of the stolen Bybit funds.
This week, eXch took to the BitcoinTalk forum to announce it was shutting down on May 1st, claiming that “friends” in the state intelligence sector confirmed the exchange is the target of an “active transatlantic operation.”
“Even though we have been able to operate despite some failed attempts to shut down our infrastructure (attempts that have also been confirmed to be part of this operation), we don’t see any point in operating in a hostile environment where we are the target of SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) simply because some people misinterpret our goals. Starting from the date of the merger with a new management team this month, and as a result of some urgent meetings, the majority of us voted to cease and retreat instead of going against strong winds, because none of us want to cause any harm to innocent people or this forum.”
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