This weekend, market watchers are fixated on a sizable whale on Hyperliquid who opened a $42 million long position on bitcoin using 40x leverage. It’s a high-wire act with no safety net, as a slip below $65,400 would trigger a full liquidation of the bet.
Leveraged Bitcoin Bet Under Pressure
To kick off March, a derivatives trader on the decentralized perps exchange Hyperliquid planted an outsized bet that bitcoin will climb from here.
“A massive whale just entered a $42M BTC long using 40x leverage,” one X account wrote on Sunday. “High risk. High conviction. The market is about to get interesting.” These takes were splashed across X feeds all morning.
Interestingly, when social media lit up about the whale, BTC was hovering near $67,000 per coin. Since then, bitcoin slipped under $66,000, triggering a partial liquidation of this individual’s position. Many figured the trader was wagering on a swift rebound after reports of the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader. The bitcoin price rebound, however, never arrived fast enough to save the trade.
Once the liquidation “dust” cleared on Sunday afternoon, the position had been slashed to roughly $16.9 million in total value. The account’s equity (net value) now sits near $463,729, a sign that most of the capital behind those multi-million-dollar trades has evaporated. In plain terms, this high roller’s BTC long has been a painful lesson in leverage.
The trader also placed a solana (SOL) wager and is sitting on a modest profit of about $71,238, which barely dents the losses tied to the BTC position. Even so, the account remains in a highly precarious spot. Because the trader is using Cross Margin, the entire remaining balance of $463,729 (logged at 2 p.m. EST) is serving as collateral for both the BTC and SOL trades at the same time.
The current liquidation price is $65,394. With BTC trading at $66,237, a slide of roughly 1.2% would trigger yet another liquidation.
FAQ 🔎
- What happened to the $42 million bitcoin long on Hyperliquid? The 40x leveraged bitcoin position on the decentralized perps exchange Hyperliquid was partially liquidated after BTC fell below $66,000.
- What is the current liquidation price for the Hyperliquid bitcoin whale? The trader’s latest liquidation level is $65,394, meaning a roughly 1.2% BTC drop from $66,237 (current BTC values at 2 p.m. EST) could trigger another wipeout.
- How much has the Hyperliquid trader lost so far? The original $42 million bitcoin position has been cut to about $16.9 million, with account equity near $463,729.
- Why is Cross Margin increasing the risk on Hyperliquid? Because Cross Margin uses the trader’s full remaining balance of $463,729 as collateral for both BTC and SOL trades, losses in one position can force liquidations across the account.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Bitcoin ETFs See $213M Daily Inflow, Ethereum ETFs Record $83M Outflow on April 24
Gate News message, according to the April 24 update, Bitcoin ETFs recorded a single-day net inflow of 2,733 BTC (approximately $213.15 million), with a 7-day net inflow of 18,232 BTC (approximately $1.42 billion). Ethereum ETFs showed a single-day net outflow of 35,713 ETH (approximately $82.93 mill
GateNews2h ago
Bitcoin Breaks $78,000 but Falls 0.47% Intraday
Gate News message, April 24 — Bitcoin broke through $78,000 today, though it recorded a 0.47% decline over the intraday period.
GateNews2h ago
Project Eleven awards Q-Day 1 BTC bounty: researchers use a quantum computer to crack a 15-bit elliptic curve key
Project Eleven, a nonprofit organization focusing on research into “Q-Day (Quantum Computer Breaks Blockchain Cryptography Day),” announced on 4/24 that it would award a $1 Bitcoin bounty to independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli. Using a Shor algorithm variant on publicly accessible cloud quantum computer hardware, Lelli successfully cracked a 15-bit elliptic curve key—marking the largest public quantum attack demonstration to date.
Attack Scale and Significance
Project Content Winner Giancarlo Lelli (Independent Researcher) Attack Target 15-bit elliptic curve key, searching 32,767 possibilities Using Hardware Publicly accessible cloud quantum computers Algorithm Shor
ChainNewsAbmedia3h ago
Nasdaq-Listed Nakamoto Unveils Active Bitcoin Derivatives Strategy Since Q1 2026
Gate News message, April 24 — Nakamoto, a Nasdaq-listed company, has announced an actively managed Bitcoin derivatives program running since Q1 2026. The strategy aims to generate recurring volatility income from a portion of the company's Bitcoin holdings while hedging against downside price
GateNews3h ago
Metaplanet Issues $50 Million in Zero-Interest Bonds to Fund Bitcoin Purchases
Gate News message, April 24 — Japanese bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet announced on Friday that it is issuing 8 billion Japanese yen (approximately $50 million) in zero-interest ordinary bonds to fund future bitcoin purchases. The bond issuance was fully subscribed by EVO Fund, a Cayman
GateNews3h ago
Abraxas Capital Deposits 4,835 BTC Worth $378M to Major CEX
Gate News message, April 24 — According to on-chain data tracked by Lookonchain, Abraxas Capital deposited 4,835 BTC, valued at approximately $378 million, to a major CEX in the past hour.
The institutional investor also transferred 6,000 XAUT tokens, worth approximately $28 million, to several maj
GateNews4h ago