Key Takeaways
- Humayun Sheikh, CEO of Fetch.ai, provided a $250,000 bounty for data on the signatories of OceanDAO’s multisignature pockets and their connection to the Ocean Protocol Basis.
- Ocean Protocol-linked staff pockets allegedly transformed roughly 661 million OCEAN tokens into 286 million FET tokens, price about $120 million, and moved them to exchanges earlier than or through the ASI Alliance merger with out disclosure.
- The dispute stems from the 2024 ASI merger involving Fetch.ai, Ocean Protocol, and SingularityNet, which has since seen Ocean Protocol withdraw amid the controversy and authorized threats.
Fetch.ai CEO Humayun Sheikh has introduced a considerable $250,000 reward for verifiable data. Particularly, the bounty targets the people who signed transactions for the OceanDAO’s multisignature pockets and their exact connections to the Ocean Protocol Basis. This escalation comes instantly after the CEO publicly alleged that an Ocean Protocol-linked pockets had misappropriated a major quantity of tokens.
The core of the dispute facilities on the 2024 merger of the Synthetic Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance, a union supposed to mix Fetch.ai, Ocean Protocol, and SingularityNet beneath a shared token framework.
Sheikh claims that, both earlier than or through the merger, Ocean Protocol minted and transferred thousands and thousands of OCEAN tokens, subsequently changing them into FET tokens (Fetch.ai’s native token) and transferring them to centralized exchanges with out the required group disclosures. The alleged complete worth of the tokens in query is estimated to be round $120 million.
$120 million $FET moved to Binance and OTC suppliers
Whereas Ocean Protocol has vehemently denied the allegations, on-chain information evaluation by platform Bubblemaps seems to corroborate a few of Sheikh’s issues. Bubblemaps pointed to an Ocean Protocol-linked multisignature pockets changing roughly 661 million OCEAN tokens into an estimated 286 million FET tokens.
https://twitter.com/bubblemaps/standing/1980601840388723064
The platform additional reported that a good portion of this complete, roughly 270 million FET tokens, with a complete worth of round $120 million, was subsequently despatched to main exchanges, together with 160 million to Binance and 109 million to GSR Markets, an OTC supplier.
https://twitter.com/oceanprotocol/standing/1978766932569419873
Ocean Protocol claimed these tokens had been reserved for “group incentives” and “information farming.” Regardless of the denial, Ocean Protocol formally withdrew from the ASI Alliance on October ninth, with out offering any clarification concerning the controversial token transfers.
Authorized and Market Fallout from the Dispute
The escalating battle has rapidly moved past social media. Fetch.ai CEO Sheikh has pledged to fund class-action lawsuits throughout a number of jurisdictions to hunt accountability.
https://twitter.com/Fetch_ai/standing/1981413610669953235
He additionally formally known as on main monetary establishments, together with Binance and GSR, to launch their very own investigations into the transfers. The market instantly felt the warmth! In simply 24 hours the $FET token plunged 9%.
Binance introduced that it will cease processing $OCEAN deposits, nonetheless, Binance didn’t explicitly hyperlink to the feud, however the timing is hardly coincidental. Ocean Protocol has maintained a defensive posture, confirming it’s making ready a proper rebuttal to what it describes as “varied unfounded claims.”
Remaining Ideas
Fetch.ai’s CEO simply dropped a $250,000 bounty, dramatically escalating the battle over these “lacking” ASI merger tokens. This isn’t simply inside bickering; on-chain data already present big, unannounced transfers, throwing the entire situation of crypto governance and transparency into sharp reduction. The fallout has tanked the market and introduced the specter of critical authorized motion to the alliance’s doorstep. It’s a full-blown disaster of confidence.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Why did Fetch.ai’s CEO provide a bounty?
He provided a $250,000 bounty for data on the OceanDAO multisig pockets signatories and their ties to the Ocean Protocol Basis, following allegations of token misappropriation.
What had been the tokens allegedly misappropriated?
The allegation is that 661 million OCEAN had been transformed into 286 million FET tokens (price roughly $120 million) and moved to exchanges with out correct disclosure through the ASI Alliance merger.
How has the crypto market reacted to the dispute?
The value of Fetch.ai’s FET token dropped by 9% shortly after the information, and Binance additionally ceased assist for OCEAN token deposits.