NEAR Intents says it blocked more than $50 million in attempted transfers connected to the Bitget hack, highlighting a growing dispute over how permissionless crypto protocols should handle suspected stolen assets.
NEAR Intents blocks transfers
According to Cointelegraph, NEAR Intents general manager Alex Shevchenko said the protocol’s SHIELD system detected and stopped more than $50 million in attempted transfers associated with the attack. NEAR Intents is a cross-chain protocol that allows users to exchange crypto assets across different blockchains.
Bitget said attackers stole $387.5 million on Thursday. A significant amount of the stolen cryptocurrency later moved across blockchain networks toward Ethereum, according to Shevchenko.
NEAR Intents said its system froze $503,000 while transactions were being processed. However, about $166,000 in funds suspected of being stolen passed through the protocol and later moved to other providers.
The protocol also said it would not accept the 5% bounty Bitget offered for freezing the attackers’ funds, or the additional 5% reward for recovering them. NEAR Intents said the frozen assets would be returned to Bitget through an appropriate legal process, allowing more of the recovered money to go back to the exchange.
A dispute over censorship and access
The intervention has sharpened a debate about the responsibilities of decentralized, or permissionless, financial infrastructure. These systems are generally designed to allow users to transact without approval from a central authority. The incident has raised the question of whether that open access should include restrictions on addresses linked to theft.
Shevchenko said permissionless protocols do not have to remain neutral when they are used to move hacked funds. He argued that refusing to help launder stolen assets is a deliberate design choice and that protecting the ability to monetize stolen property would undermine digital property rights.
The issue also drew attention to THORChain, another decentralized protocol used to swap assets between blockchains. Bitget CEO Gracy Chen called on THORChain to reject transactions involving addresses tied to the attack. THORChain responded that it does not censor transactions by design. It said the network has previously been halted as an emergency security measure, but that such a measure affects the protocol broadly rather than selectively freezing particular funds or an individual swap.
Other funds frozen and market picture
Circle and Tether also blacklisted a wallet associated with the Bitget exploiter on Friday. Onchain data cited in the report showed that the action froze $318,013 in USDT and USDC.
Moneyiar market data at 22:03 on September 25, 2026, showed NEAR Protocol at $4.9081, up 6.57% over 24 hours and 30.49% over seven days. THORChain’s RUNE was $0.6449, up 1.17% in 24 hours and 19.23% over seven days. Cronos traded at $0.0650, up 2.95% daily and 8.43% weekly, while Ethereum Name Service stood at $7.0685, up 0.09% daily and 12.69% weekly. These market figures describe prices and percentage changes at the stated time; they do not establish a connection with the hack or the fund-freezing actions.
