The decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, Balancer, has experienced a significant security breach, with losses estimated at over $128 million as of November 3, 2025. According to Nansen, a blockchain analytics firm, approximately $70.9 million in assets were transferred to a new wallet during the incident. The transferred tokens include 6.85K OSETH, 6.59K WETH, and 4.26K wSTETH.
Detailed Financial Impact of the Exploit
The total losses from the attack span multiple chains, with data from Peckshield, a blockchain security firm, indicating that the largest losses occurred on the Ethereum network, amounting to approximately $99 million. Other affected platforms include Berachain with $12.86 million, Arbitrum at $6.86 million, Base with $3.9 million, Sonic at $3.44 million, Optimism with $1.58 million, and Polygon with a loss of $232,000. This incident marks one of the largest DeFi exploits of 2025.
Following the hack, reports from Lookonchain revealed that a previously inactive wallet became active, facilitating a withdrawal of approximately $6.5 million shortly after the breach. Users with funds on Balancer have been urged to secure their assets immediately.
Balancer’s Response and Historical Context
The Balancer team has acknowledged the exploit’s impact on Balancer v2 pools and is prioritizing an investigation. They have committed to providing verified updates and guidance to users as more information unfolds. “We’re aware of a potential exploit impacting Balancer v2 pools. Our engineering and security teams are investigating with high priority,” the team stated on social media.
Investor Ted Pillows has advised users to remain cautious and refrain from interacting with the affected pools until the situation is resolved. This incident follows previous breaches in Balancer’s history, including a 2020 exploit that drained approximately $500,000 and another in 2023 that resulted in losses of around $900,000.
The current attack is the most severe in Balancer’s history, underscoring the ongoing vulnerabilities within DeFi platforms despite improvements in security measures. In the wake of the breach, Balancer’s governance token, BAL, saw a sharp decline, dropping more than 8% in value over the past 24 hours to approximately $0.91.
As the investigation continues, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with decentralized finance and the necessity for ongoing vigilance among investors and platforms alike.
