Balance Coin Crash Wipes Out 99% After 42DAO Exploit Triggers Algorithmic Stablecoin Depeg

Balance Coin Crash

A $915,000 exploit wouldn’t normally be enough to shake the crypto market. Yet the Balance Coin crash has put algorithmic stablecoins back in the spotlight after BLC lost virtually its entire dollar peg in a matter of hours. The project is far smaller than past failures, but the speed of the collapse tells a familiar story. As investigators piece together what happened, the incident is taking the community back to the tragic TerraUSD crash.

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42DAO Exploit Sends Balance Coin Into a Rapid Depeg

Source: CoinMarketCap

Balance Coin, the native algorithmic stablecoin of Balance Protocol, saw a crash of more than 99% on Tuesday. This is after a reported exploit targeting 42DAO, the protocol’s governing decentralized autonomous organization.

According to CoinMarketCap, BLC fell from around $0.9954 to roughly $0.001358, wiping out its dollar peg almost instantly. Blockchain security firm PeckShield said the attack resulted in approximately $915,000 in losses for 42DAO.

The picture became clearer as other security researchers weighed in. Blockchain security firm SlowMist said the attacker manipulated an abnormally low Binance Bitcoin (BTCB) oracle price. This allowed multiple BTCB-backed vaults to be liquidated when they should not have been. The attacker then swapped the extracted assets for profit, exposing weaknesses in the protocol’s oracle protection and liquidation mechanism. TenArmor separately reported suspicious activity involving GemJoin and 42DAO on BNB Chain.

Despite the dramatic price move, BLC’s market capitalization was only about $3.5 million before the collapse. This further limited the broader impact on the crypto market.

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Why the Crash is Bringing Back TerraUSD Comparisons

The Balance Coin crash is already drawing comparisons with TerraUSD. The algorithmic stablecoin collapse erased more than $40 billion in market value in 2022 and accelerated global regulatory scrutiny of the sector.

TerraUSD
Source: Reuters

The scale of the Balance coin crash is nowhere near TerraUSD. But the main concern is familiar. Unlike fiat-backed stablecoins, an algorithmic stablecoin depends on software mechanisms, market incentives and investor confidence to maintain its peg. Once confidence breaks, even a relatively small exploit can trigger a rapid depeg.

For investors, the latest 42DAO exploit is another reminder that smart contract security and reliable oracle systems remain just as important as token economics. Investigations into the attack are ongoing, but the Balance Coin crash has already added another cautionary chapter to the history of algorithmic stablecoins.

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Sahana Kiran

Written by Sahana Kiran

Sahana Kiran has been covering financial markets since 2019, with a focus on cryptocurrencies, fintech, and the geopolitical events shaping them. She previously reported for AmbCrypto and Watcher Guru, and now writes for BlockNow.

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