Wintermute CEO says digital assets worth US$160 million stolen from cryptocurrency trader
- Evgeny Gaevoy said the theft targeted the company’s decentralised finance operations
- Gaevoy added some 90 assets were hacked
Hackers have stolen digital assets worth around US$160 million from cryptocurrency trading firm Wintermute, its CEO tweeted on Tuesday, the latest heist to hit a sector long plagued by cybercrime.
The theft targeted London-based Wintermute’s decentralised finance operations, Evgeny Gaevoy said in a tweet. The firm, which provides liquidity across major cryptocurrency exchanges and trading platforms, remains solvent after the hack, he added.
Decentralised finance platforms and software, which aim to provide cryptocurrency-based financial services without traditional gatekeepers such as banks, have been targeted by numerous heists in recent years. The sector is little-regulated and victims of crime rarely have recourse.
Gaevoy and Wintermute did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wintermute calls itself “one of the largest players” in global cryptocurrency markets. It says it manages “hundreds of millions” in assets and trades more than US$5 billion a day.