• Arbitrum froze 30,766 ETH before it could be bridged out.
• Attacker moved 75,701 ETH and began routing funds to Bitcoin.
• Over $176 million is being laundered through multiple parallel flows.

Arbitrum has frozen a significant portion of funds linked to the KelpDAO exploit, even as the attacker moves to push the remaining assets beyond reach.

The Arbitrum Security Council confirmed it froze 30,766 ETH, valued at over $70 million at the time of action.

The funds were tied to an address associated with the KelpDAO attacker and were secured before they could be bridged out of the network.

The intervention came after coordination with law enforcement, suggesting authorities may already have leads on the exploiter’s identity.

The Arbitrum Security Council has taken emergency action to freeze the 30,766 ETH being held in the address on Arbitrum One that is connected to the KelpDAO exploit. The Security Council acted with input from law enforcement as to the exploiter’s identity, and, at all times,…

— Arbitrum (@arbitrum) April 21, 2026

A race against time

Blockchain investigators, including PeckShield, had flagged that the attacker was already attempting to move the funds off Arbitrum using a native bridge.

Had that transfer been completed, the ETH would likely have joined a much larger pool of stolen assets already in circulation across other chains.

By intervening when it did, Arbitrum prevented roughly 29% of the stolen funds from entering the laundering pipeline. However, the remaining assets were not as fortunate.

The KelpDAO exploit itself is estimated at around $290 million, making it one of the largest decentralized finance breaches of 2026.

The attacker moved quickly after the initial exploit, splitting funds across multiple wallets and chains in an effort to reduce traceability.

Laundering shifts to Bitcoin

Following the freeze, the attacker accelerated efforts to move the remaining funds.

Data shows that approximately 75,701 ETH, worth about $175 million, was transferred to Ethereum mainnet.

From there, the funds began moving into Bitcoin through decentralized protocols like THORChain, Chainflip, and Umbra Cash, which allow direct cross-chain swaps without relying on centralized exchanges.

#PeckShieldAlert The @KelpDAO exploiter has begun laundering stolen funds (~$176M).

They have started bridging small batches of funds from #Ethereum to $BTC via @THORChain, @UmbraCash, @chainflip, and @BitTorrent. pic.twitter.com/4cm8dOjTWL

— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) April 21, 2026

PeckShield analysts observed that the attacker left only about 0.7 ETH in some wallets, just enough to cover transaction fees, while draining the rest into new routes.

This pattern reflects a high level of operational discipline and planning.

Another $176 million portion of the stolen funds has also been actively moved in parallel transactions.

Rather than laundering everything in a single flow, the attacker appears to be running multiple streams at once.

This staggered approach reduces the risk of a single point of failure and makes recovery efforts more difficult.

Is the infamous North Korea’s Lazarus Group linked to the KelpDAO exploit?

The scale and coordination of the operation have led investigators to link the exploit to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, specifically a subgroup known as TraderTraitor.

This attribution is based on transaction patterns and laundering techniques that match previous operations tied to the group.

Lazarus has a long history of targeting crypto platforms and using complex cross-chain strategies to obscure stolen funds.

The use of decentralized bridges and rapid asset conversion seen in the KelpDAO case fits that pattern closely.

Michael Saylor announced on Monday that Strategy had carried out another massive Bitcoin buy. The multi-billion-dollar Bitcoin purchase did not come as a surprise to the market, given that the company had already been raising more money to buy BTC leading up to the day. However, what is interesting is how much BTC the public company now holds and what it means in comparison to other counterparts with large holdings in the market.

Strategy’s BTC Holdings Have Now Crossed 800,000 BTC

With the most recent buy, where the company bought 34,164 BTC, it has now seen its Bitcoin holdings cross the 800,000 BTC mark for the first time. According to the announcement, this latest BTC buy had set the company back a whopping $2.54 billion with an average price of $74,395 per Bitcoin.

Related Reading

This brought the company’s total holdings to 815,061 BTC, with the total purchase history coming out to $61.56 billion spent so far. This buy also brought down the company’s average buy price for its BTC holdings to $75,527, decreasing its total entry point.

With the holdings now sitting above 815,000 BTC, though, this means that Strategy has actually surpassed BlackRock when it comes to BTC holdings. Previously, BlackRock had dominated the market as Spot Bitcoin ETFs gained popularity rapidly, and BlackRock’s holdings grew very fast.

However, at the time of writing, the BlackRock IBIT total BTC holdings sit below 800,000, at 798,062, according to data from Bitbo. This is a small gap, but it shows how Strategy’s BTC buys have continued to balloon, going toe-to-toe with BlackRock, which is a company that handles over $12 trillion in assets.

Will Michael Saylor Stop Buying Bitcoin?

In the past, Michael Saylor has said that Strategy’s move to buy Bitcoin as a treasury asset was not a short-term plan, and this has been proven over the years. The company began buying Bitcoin back in 2020, and five years on, it is still buying BTC and remains the company with the largest BTC holdings in the world.

Related Reading

In an interview with CNBC back in February, Saylor reiterated his stance on Bitcoin, explaining that the company does not plan to sell its Bitcoin holdings anytime soon. So far, the company has not made its exit plan, or if there is one, public yet. So for now, the focus remains on the company’s BTC buys rather than a possible sell.

Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com

Bitcoin price started a recovery wave from the $73,650 zone. BTC is consolidating and might struggle to clear the $76,500 resistance zone.

• Bitcoin managed to form a base above $74,000 and started a recovery wave.
• The price is trading above $75,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average.
• There was a break above a bearish trend line with resistance at $75,200 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken).
• The pair might gain bullish momentum if it settles above the $76,500 zone.

Bitcoin Price Aims Higher

Bitcoin price extended losses below the $75,500 support zone. BTC even spiked below $74,000 before the bulls appeared. A low was formed at $73,637, and the price is now attempting to recover.

There was a move above the $74,500 and $75,000 levels. There was a break above a bearish trend line with resistance at $75,200 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. The pair even surpassed the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $78,344 swing high to the $73,637 low.

Bitcoin is now trading above $75,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. If the price remains stable above $75,000, it could attempt a fresh increase. Immediate resistance is near the $76,500 level and the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $78,344 swing high to the $73,637 low.

The first key resistance is near the $77,250 level. A close above the $77,250 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $78,000 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $78,500 level. The next barrier for the bulls could be $80,000.

Another Decline In BTC?

If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $76,500 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $75,400 level.

The first major support is near the $75,000 level. The next support is now near the $74,250 zone. Any more losses might send the price toward the $73,650 support in the near term. The main support now sits at $72,000, below which BTC might struggle to recover in the near term.

Technical indicators:

Hourly MACD – The MACD is now losing pace in the bullish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now moving lower toward the 50 level.

Major Support Levels – $75,000, followed by $74,250.

Major Resistance Levels – $76,500 and $77,250.

Bitcoin is showing renewed strength after a sharp rebound, signaling that buyers are stepping back in at key levels. With momentum building and price pushing higher, attention is now shifting toward the $79,000 resistance zone, where a breakout could confirm continued upside and open the door for a stronger rally.

Selling Pressure After Initial Reaction

Bitcoin saw an immediate response to yesterday’s developments, facing notable selling pressure as the market processed the news. Analyst Kamile Uray highlights that while the initial reaction was bearish, the possibility for a continued rally remains on the table, provided the immediate low of $73,371 is successfully defended.

Related Reading

However, a 4-hour candle close below this mark would likely trigger a deeper correction toward the $68,720 level, which represents the critical 0.618 Fibonacci retracement of the most recent upward wave. Holding this support provides the foundation for a fresh leg up.

On the bullish side, a decisive close above $79,000 would signal a continuation of the broader uptrend toward much higher targets. Uray identifies a major resistance cluster between $98,000 and $107,000–$109,000. Should the price face a rejection at these elevated levels, traders should expect a return to the previous support zones, ranging from $73,371 to the $66,000 region.

Examining the daily timeframe, the $65,666 level serves as a pivot point. As long as Bitcoin maintains its position above this threshold, the overall structure remains skewed toward a potential rise.

A failure to hold the $65,666 level would shift the focus to lower support levels at $63,823, $62,433, and $60,000. The most critical warning comes at the $60,000 mark; a daily close below this psychological and technical barrier would likely extend the corrective phase significantly.

Bitcoin Bounces Strongly As Week Kicks Off

In his most recent update, analyst Michaël van de Poppe noted a relatively strong upward bounce for Bitcoin on Monday. This movement is particularly significant as it occurs during a period where markets typically trend toward a risk-off stance ahead of the weekly opening. The ability of Bitcoin to push higher against this cautious backdrop suggests underlying strength in current demand.

Related Reading

A key factor in this analysis is the recent decoupling from traditional safe-haven assets. While Bitcoin has shown resilience and upward momentum, gold has trended downward. Looking at the weekly outlook, the presence of a price gap at the $77,300 level remains a primary focal point for traders. Given the strength of the recent bounce and the existing technical vacuum toward that higher level, Bitcoin is expected to fill this gap and achieve new highs before the current week concludes.

Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com