Trump Makes History as First Sitting US President to Address Crypto Conference
Donald Trump has become the first sitting U.S. president to speak at a cryptocurrency conference, marking a significant milestone in the mainstream acceptance of digital assets. Trump’s appearance underscores the growing political recognition of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
ZachXBT Identifies Mysterious Hyperliquid Whale as British Hacker
Onchain investigator ZachXBT claims to have uncovered the identity of a mysterious whale trader who recently profited around $20 million from highly leveraged trades on decentralized exchanges Hyperliquid and GMX. According to ZachXBT, the trader is British hacker William Parker, previously known as Alistair Packover.
ZachXBT revealed in a March 20 post that Parker was arrested last year for allegedly stealing approximately $1 million from two casinos in 2023. Parker has a history of hacking and gambling-related allegations dating back a decade.
ZachXBT stated:
“It is abundantly clear WP/AP has not learned his lesson over the years after serving time for fraud and will likely continue gambling.”
Massive Leveraged Trades and Platform Impact
The whale trader gained notoriety after executing highly leveraged trades—up to 50x leverage—on decentralized perpetual exchanges Hyperliquid and GMX. Notably:
- On March 12, the trader intentionally liquidated a $200 million Ether (ETH) long position, causing Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool to lose $4 million, while earning himself $1.8 million in profits.
- Hyperliquid clarified the liquidation was not an exploit but a predictable outcome under extreme market conditions. The platform subsequently revised its collateral rules to prevent similar incidents.
- On March 14, the whale opened another multimillion-dollar leveraged long position, this time on Chainlink (LINK).
Summary and Key Points
- Donald Trump becomes first sitting U.S. president to address a crypto conference.
- ZachXBT identifies whale trader as British hacker William Parker (formerly Alistair Packover).
- Parker previously arrested for casino theft and has a history of hacking allegations.
- Trader profited $20 million from leveraged trades, causing significant losses to Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool.
- Hyperliquid updated margin rules following the incident.
Cointelegraph has not independently verified ZachXBT’s claims.
