Alameda liquidators just lost $72,000 on a DeFi lending platform while trying to recover funds for creditors, analytics firm says

The latest hiccup? Getting turned around in a decentralized finance protocol that resulted in the accidental loss of $72,000 that can no longer be used to pay anyone back.

“There were some embarrassing on-chain faux pas’s committed by the operators,” a report from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence said. 

Essentially, liquidators have been trying to consolidate assets from Alameda into a single wallet to simplify managing its holdings. As the team was trying to move funds and exit positions, they accidentally liquidated themselves on Aave, a DeFi lending protocol.

DeFi protocols allows users to borrow and loan tokens without centralized intermediaries. These platform and tools are often difficult to navigate because they have poor user interface design and haven’t been tested at a large scale. 

“When positions are forcibly closed on AAVE, a penalty is also slashed from the liquidated collateral,” Arkham Intelligence said. 

Around $1.4 million worth of tokens have been returned to the central wallet from various Alameda wallets over the past two weeks. The wallet holds around $19.6 million worth of ether and $140 million of various other cryptocurrencies, The Block reported Thursday. 

“The liquidators would benefit from having a DeFi expert to advise on the mechanics of closing Alameda DeFi positions and retrieving as much money as possible,” Zachary Lerangis, head of operations at Arkham, told news outlet Decrypt.

FTX’s restructuring team has recovered $5 billion worth of liquid assets so far, company attorneys announced on Wednesday. This figure doesn’t include any illiquid assets.