The Hyperliquid Foundation announced on January 18 that it has donated 10,000 HYPE tokens to well-known on-chain investigator ZachXBT, a contribution valued at approximately $254,000 at current market prices.
hyperliquid donated 10,000 $HYPE ($254K) to @zachxbt
absolute respect @HyperliquidX. he deserves it?? pic.twitter.com/XQmD3BLwZm
— vasucrypto (@vasuxbt) January 17, 2026
ZachXBT confirmed receipt of the funds in an official statement and updated his public contributor list. The donation represents the second-largest single contribution he has ever received from one organization, underscoring growing institutional support for independent blockchain investigations.
Supporting Transparency and Independent Research
According to the updated contributor disclosures, the Optimism Foundation remains ZachXBT’s largest supporter, followed by the Hyperliquid Foundation. Other notable contributors in the top ten include Arbitrum, BNB Chain, and High Stakes Capital.
ZachXBT regularly publishes donor information to maintain transparency around funding sources, emphasizing that diversified support is critical to preserving his independence and neutrality.
His work focuses on tracking crypto-related crime, exploits, and scams, and has become an important resource for the broader digital asset industry. Financial backing for independent investigators is increasingly viewed as a key pillar in strengthening ecosystem-wide security and accountability.
Investigating One of 2026’s Largest Individual Crypto Thefts
The timing of Hyperliquid’s donation follows ZachXBT’s recent investigation into a major hacking incident reported earlier this month. On January 10, he revealed details of a breach in which approximately $282 million worth of Bitcoin and other cryprocurrencies were stolen from a private hardware wallet, which was one of the largest individual crypto thefts recorded in 2026.
According to his findings, the attackers relied on advanced social engineering techniques to bypass standard security safeguards. The stolen assets were later swapped into Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency, in an apparent attempt to obscure transaction trails and evade tracking.
By publicly documenting these methods, ZachXBT’s analysis provides valuable insights that can help users and institutions strengthen defenses against similar attacks in the future.
A Shift in How Crypto Projects View Investigators
Industry observers note a broader shift in how blockchain projects perceive independent investigators. Rather than treating them as adversaries, many protocols are now recognizing their role as partners in accountability and user protection.
Hyperliquid’s donation reflects this evolving mindset, highlighting a growing commitment across decentralized markets to transparency, security, and trust. As crypto adoption expands, sustained support for independent on-chain research is increasingly seen as essential to maintaining confidence in the ecosystem.
