Bonk price is back in the spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. The Solana-based memecoin came under renewed selling pressure after reports of a $20 million BonkDAO treasury exploit shook investor confidence, triggering a fresh wave of profit-taking that pushed the token down more than 8%. Despite the sharp decline, derivatives data suggest traders are positioning for BONK’s next major move. The key question now is whether buyers can defend the current support and spark a recovery or if the latest setback will trigger another leg lower.
BonkDAO Treasury Exploit Sparks Panic Selling
BONK came under pressure after reports revealed that BonkDAO lost nearly $20 million worth of BONK tokens in a governance exploit. The sell-off in BONK followed a sophisticated governance exploit that allowed an attacker to drain 4.426 trillion BONK tokens, worth approximately $21.2 million, from the BonkDAO treasury.
According to on-chain data, the attacker first submitted a governance proposal on June 30 seeking approval to transfer the treasury funds to a wallet under their control. To ensure the proposal passed, the attacker accumulated 882.285 billion BONK tokens—worth around $4.4 million—over two days through purchases on Bybit and Binance. This stake exceeded the DAO’s 879.95 billion BONK voting quorum, giving the attacker enough voting power to approve the proposal single-handedly.
Once the proposal was approved, the DAO’s governance system automatically transferred the 4.426 trillion BONK tokens to the attacker’s wallet, enabling them to walk away with an estimated $16.8 million profit after accounting for the cost of acquiring the voting tokens.
On-chain tracking shows that the attacker has already moved 40 billion BONK (around $188,000) to OKX, while the remaining 4.386 trillion BONK, valued at roughly $19.3 million, continues to be held in another wallet. The incident has raised fresh concerns over governance security in decentralized organisations, highlighting how low voter participation can leave DAO treasuries vulnerable to governance attacks.
Derivative Signals Fresh Bets Despite Bearish Sentiment
Despite the sharp sell-off, BONK’s derivatives market suggests traders are far from stepping aside. According to the chart, Open Interest (OI) has climbed back above $2.1 million, indicating that fresh positions are being added rather than existing ones being closed. Typically, a rise in OI alongside heightened volatility signals growing market participation, with traders positioning for the next directional move. However, the sentiment remains tilted toward the bears. Funding rates have slipped into negative territory.
The negative funding rate indicates that the short sellers are paying long positions to maintain their trades, reflecting an increase in bearish conviction. From a technical perspective, BONK remains trapped inside a well-defined consolidation range. The recent rally stalled near the $0.0000050–$0.0000051 resistance zone, where sellers quickly stepped in, forcing the price back toward the middle of the range. Meanwhile, the $0.0000040–$0.0000041 region continues to act as immediate support and has successfully absorbed multiple selling attempts over the past few weeks.
What’s Next for the Bonk Price Rally?
The BonkDAO treasury exploit has undoubtedly dealt a blow to investor confidence, triggering a sharp sell-off and fueling bearish sentiment across the derivatives market. However, the steady rise in Open Interest suggests traders are not exiting the market; instead, they are positioning for BONK’s next decisive move.
As long as BONK trades within this range, the market is likely to remain indecisive. A daily close above $0.0000051, supported by rising volume and sustained Open Interest, could invalidate the short-term bearish outlook and open the door for a stronger recovery. Conversely, losing the $0.0000040 support would likely strengthen bearish momentum and expose BONK to a deeper correction as traders increasingly price in the fallout from the treasury exploit.