Autor: dot-traders

• Balancer will return $8M to affected liquidity providers after the V2 exploit.
• Whitehat and internal teams recovered part of the stolen $28M.
• Reimbursements will be distributed pro rata in the same tokens via a 180-day claim.

Decentralised finance protocol Balancer has unveiled a plan to reimburse liquidity providers (LPs) following the massive exploit that drained over $128 million from its V2 pools.

The reimbursement plan comes after an extensive recovery effort led by whitehat hackers and internal teams, aiming to restore funds and rebuild trust within the platform’s user community.

The plan has been submitted to the Balancer DAO for community feedback and will require approval through a formal voting process before distribution begins.

The Balancer exploit

The Balancer exploit, which occurred in early November, targeted a rounding function flaw in Balancer’s Composable Stable Pools (CSPv5).

Attackers combined this vulnerability with batched swaps, allowing them to manipulate token price calculations and drain multiple pools across Ethereum, Polygon, Base, and Arbitrum.

Despite 11 previous security audits conducted by four different blockchain security firms, the vulnerability went unnoticed.

The breach sent shockwaves through the DeFi sector, causing Balancer’s total value locked to fall from $775 million to $258 million, while its native BAL token lost roughly 30% of its value.

Portions of the protocol were paused immediately after the attack to prevent further losses, while whitehat and internal recovery operations began working to salvage funds.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Balancer Hack:

1. The attack targeted Balancer’s V2 vaults and liquidity pools, exploiting a vulnerability in smart contract interactions. Preliminary analysis from on-chain investigators points to a maliciously deployed contract that… pic.twitter.com/udAM4hB0OD

— Adi (@AdiFlips) November 3, 2025

Recovery efforts and whitehat contributions

Overall, approximately $28 million of the stolen funds was recovered.

Whitehat hackers played a significant role, reclaiming around $3.9 million, while internal Balancer teams, including coordination with security firm Certora, retrieved another $4.1 million from vulnerable metastable pools that had not yet been exploited.

Among the whitehat contributors, an anonymous actor dubbed “Anon #1” recovered $2.68 million on Polygon, including various tokens such as WPOL, MaticX, TruMATIC, and stMatic, as detailed in the unveiled reimbursement proposal.

Some rescuers on Arbitrum declined to identify themselves and waived their bounty claims, highlighting the voluntary and community-driven nature of these recovery efforts.

The remaining $19.7 million in osETH and osGNO tokens was recovered through StakeWise, an Ethereum liquid staking protocol, and will be returned to users via StakeWise’s own governance mechanisms.

The $8M reimbursement plan

Balancer’s reimbursement plan focuses on the $8 million recovered directly by whitehats and internal teams.

The framework adopts a non-socialised approach, meaning funds are returned only to liquidity providers in the specific pools affected.

Reimbursements will be distributed on a pro-rata basis according to each user’s Balancer Pool Token holdings at a snapshot block taken before the exploit.

Payments will be made in-kind, allowing users to receive the exact tokens that were stolen, avoiding any mismatches or unintended losses due to price fluctuations.

Whitehat contributors are entitled to a 10% bounty of the recovered funds, capped at $1 million per operation.

To receive their reward, Whitehat participants must complete identity verification, KYC, and sanctions screening under Balancer’s SEAL Safe Harbour Agreement.

Notably, internal recovery operations, including Certora’s involvement, are excluded from these bounties due to pre-existing service agreements.

If the distribution plan is approved, affected liquidity providers will have a 180-day window to claim their funds, during which they must digitally accept Balancer’s updated terms of use.

These terms require users to release Balancer Labs, the DAO, the Foundation, and affiliated parties from legal liabilities related to the exploit.

Unclaimed funds after 180 days will be considered dormant and may only be reallocated through a governance vote.

The post Balancer unveils $8M reimbursement plan for LPs after the $128M V2 exploit appeared first on CoinJournal.

• The rules include licensing, AML checks, cold storage, and strict state authority over token issuances.
• Crypto assets are classified as backed or unbacked and are not legal tender in Turkmenistan.
• The move follows a Nov. 21 government meeting focused on digital asset policy.

Turkmenistan has taken a major step towards formalising its digital asset sector, joining a wave of countries introducing detailed crypto regulations as global frameworks evolve.

The move was confirmed in a Nov. 28 report by Business Turkmenistan, which said President Serdar Berdimuhamedov had approved a new law that will come into effect in 2026.

The legislation introduces a tightly controlled structure for digital assets in a country long known for strict information policies and limited access to outside technologies.

It places crypto exchanges, custodial services, and mining under clear state-defined rules, positioning Turkmenistan within a growing international effort to manage crypto adoption more systematically.

Sweeping rules

The new law establishes licensing procedures for exchanges and custodial platforms.

It sets know your client and Anti Money Laundering checks as standard requirements, along with mandatory cold storage obligations for service providers.

The framework also prevents credit institutions from offering crypto services. The state can stop, void, or enforce the refund of token issuances, placing digital asset activity squarely under government authority.

Mining is a central focus of the legislation. Individuals and organisations must register mining and mining pool operations. Covert mining activity is banned.

The central bank is also given the power to authorise distributed ledgers or operate its own, opening the door to permissioned systems that could direct transactions and digital asset activity through state-managed infrastructure.

Strict classifications

Turkmenistan’s law also defines the legal status of crypto assets. Digital currencies are not considered legal tender, currency, or securities within the country. Instead, the law divides them into two categories: backed and unbacked.

Regulators will later set rules for the liquidity of the backing, settlement requirements, and emergency redemption arrangements for assets in the backed category.

This structure hints at a system in which any asset with underlying backing will face closer supervision, while unbacked assets remain strictly delineated in legal terms.

The legislation was introduced following a Nov. 21 government meeting.

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Hojamyrat Geldimyradov presented a report outlining the legal, technological, and organisational basis for the introduction of digital assets.

The report was accompanied by a proposal to establish a special State Commission that will oversee the sector and coordinate regulatory decisions as the framework is implemented.

Global context

Turkmenistan’s shift mirrors a wider push among governments to tighten their regulatory approaches to crypto and stablecoins.

Earlier this week, the United Kingdom’s tax authority outlined a new plan that allows decentralised finance users to defer capital gains taxes on crypto lending and liquidity pool activity until they sell the underlying token.

The move reduces the administrative burden on users and brings policy closer in line with how traditional assets are taxed.

In another development, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said she expects the UK to move in parallel with the United States on stablecoin policies.

This suggests that major economies may establish similar frameworks as stablecoins become more integrated into payment and settlement systems.

International bodies are also reassessing earlier positions.

Erik Thedéen, governor of Sweden’s central bank and chair of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, recently indicated that the group may need a different approach to its current risk weighting for crypto exposures after some countries resisted adopting the 1,250% standard.

This reflects rising pressure for coordinated regulatory models as digital asset markets expand.

Political backdrop

The regulatory shift comes against the backdrop of Turkmenistan’s tightly controlled political landscape.

The former Soviet republic, home to around 6.5 to 7 million people, relies heavily on natural gas exports and maintains one of the world’s most centralised presidential systems.

It appears in lists of countries where X and Telegram are banned.

The country is also known for distinctive landmarks, including a permanently burning natural gas crater known as the door to hell, the white marble architecture of its capital, Ashgabat, and a national holiday dedicated to melons.

These features sit alongside heavy state oversight, making the introduction of a structured crypto law a notable change in approach.

The post Turkmenistan joins global crypto regulation push with sweeping new digital asset law appeared first on CoinJournal.