NEAR Intents Blocks $50M Tied to Bitget Hackers

NEAR Intents said it blocked $50 million in funds tied to hackers behind the Bitget breach, positioning the cross-chain protocol as an active gatekeeper against stolen assets moving through its network. The disclosure adds to a broader debate in decentralized finance over whether infrastructure providers should intervene when funds appear linked to theft.

The protocol’s stance contrasts with THORChain’s long-held view that it should not selectively censor transactions. That divide has become more visible as cross-chain systems face pressure from users, exchanges and investigators to slow the movement of illicit funds without undermining the neutrality that DeFi protocols often cite as a core principle.

The immediate market significance is less about the dollar amount alone than about what the episode signals for cross-chain liquidity. Protocols that can demonstrate stronger anti-money-laundering controls may gain credibility with institutions and compliance-focused users, while those that reject intervention may face greater scrutiny after major exploits.

For traders and risk managers, the event reinforces a familiar pattern: hack-related flows can still move quickly across chains, but the window for laundering is narrowing as protocols improve monitoring and coordination. That may reduce the efficiency of illicit exits, though it can also increase fragmentation across bridges and routing layers as protocols adopt different enforcement standards.

The Bitget-linked funds also arrive at a time when crypto sentiment remains constructive, with the broader market still operating in a greed regime. In that environment, security and compliance headlines can influence relative performance among infrastructure tokens and cross-chain platforms, particularly if users begin to favor venues that appear more responsive to enforcement pressure.