Bybit CEO Ben Zhou commented on a recent $4 million loss suffered by decentralized exchange (DEX) Hyperliquid due to an Ether whale’s high-leverage trade, noting that centralized exchanges (CEXs) face similar challenges.
On March 12, a crypto investor walked away with $1.8 million and forced the Hyperliquidity Pool (HLP) to bear a $4 million loss after a trade that used leverage on the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange (DEX).
The trader used about 50x leverage to turn $10 million into a $270 million Ether (ETH) long position. However, the trader couldn’t exit without tanking their own position. Instead, they withdrew collateral, offloading assets without triggering a self-inflicted price drop, leaving Hyperliquid to cover the losses.
Smart contract auditor Three Sigma said the trade was a “brutal game of liquidity mechanics,” not a bug or an exploit. Hyperliquid also clarified that