Protocolo de préstamo entre cadenas Radiant anuncia cierre: robado 5 millones de dólares por Corea del Norte, TVL se evapora un 87%

Cross-chain lending protocol Radiant Capital officially announces the cessation of development, switching to maintenance mode. After being stolen by North Korea's Lazarus Group of 50 million USD in 2024, TVL plummeted from 3.87 million USD to 500,000 USD, leaving only 13%.
（Background summary: Cross-chain lending protocol Radiant can't hold on! Hacked for 5 million USD, declared "full stop of development"）
（Additional background: Kelp DAO announces rsETH fully restored: 293 million USD stolen by North Korean hackers 5 weeks ago）

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• From 3.87 million USD to 500,000 USD: TVL evaporates 87%
• Not fully closed, but no longer developing
• The hidden concern of "passive aging" in DeFi
• Liquidity in cross-chain lending protocols usually comes from multiple source chains. When assets on the main chain are stolen, liquidity on other chains may also shrink simultaneously, leading to an illusion of "apparent liquidity but already a shell." Taiwanese users should regularly check protocol TVL trends and recent attack signs, besides focusing on annualized yields when using cross-chain DeFi.

Radiant Capital announced on Monday that it will cease development and switch to "maintenance mode," officially bringing the 2024 cross-chain lending battle, where 50 million USD was stolen by North Korea's Lazarus Group, to an end.

Radiant stated in an official Medium post that the inability to recover stolen funds, lack of new capital injection, and ongoing operational costs forced the protocol to make this decision. The company also added on X that the community and contributors have maintained the protocol under increasingly difficult conditions, but "without revival, capital, or growth," it is no longer sustainable.

From 3.87 million USD to 500,000 USD: TVL evaporates 87%

Radiant launched in 2022 with the goal of creating a single platform aggregating liquidity across multiple blockchains. It expanded rapidly in 2023, with DeFiLlama data showing its TVL peaked at 3.87 million USD in December of that year. After being hacked for 50 million USD by North Korea's Lazarus Group in October 2024, TVL sharply dropped to 7.5 million USD, then within a month fell further to 500,000 USD, a decline of 87%.

Not fully closed, but no longer developing

Radiant has not completely shut down. The protocol frontend and smart contracts remain open; users can still withdraw, repay, and manage positions. However, the DAO will no longer develop, upgrade, or add features. The official recommends users "actively manage risks and reduce exposure."

Additionally, Radiant will keep the compensation portal open, continue recovery efforts, and return recovered funds to affected users.

The hidden concern of "passive aging" in DeFi

Radiant's shutdown model reveals another hidden risk in DeFi protocols: even without major incidents, protocols lacking ongoing developer maintenance will enter a state of "passive aging." While smart contracts can continue to operate, they do not fix new bugs, do not follow chain upgrades, and lack competitive yield strategies, ultimately leading to market marginalization.

OpenZeppelin co-founder previously warned that "all DeFi is unsafe," and AI-driven theft methods are increasing exponentially. The 50 million USD stolen from Radiant is just the tip of the iceberg. Without establishing continuous security budgets and developer mechanisms, similar "quiet shutdowns" like Radiant's could become the norm.

Liquidity in cross-chain lending protocols usually comes from multiple source chains. When assets on the main chain are stolen, liquidity on other chains may also shrink simultaneously, leading to an illusion of "apparent liquidity but already a shell." Taiwanese users should regularly check protocol TVL trends and recent attack signs, besides focusing on annualized yields when using cross-chain DeFi.