Crypto exchange Kraken suspended services for some clients following a series of small transactions from wallets linked by Arkham Intelligence analysts to HTX. Details were shared by the platform’s representatives with Bloomberg.
From August 17 to 24, Kraken received about 12,000 transfers, mostly ranging from a few cents to a few dollars.
The company described the incident as a “dust attack.” According to Kraken, the sender attempted to distribute funds belonging to the sanctioned HTX across other platforms, triggering automatic checks on user accounts.
“We do not know who is behind these attacks,” said representatives of the exchange.
The assumption was that receiving funds from a sanctioned source would lead to a complete account block. This initially happened, with access temporarily restricted.
Later, the compliance team restored access. However, assets under restrictions remain blocked. The exchange also reported notifying the relevant authorities.
HTX Denies Involvement
HTX stated that an internal review did not confirm the involvement of its official accounts in the small transfers. The company is investigating whether the wallet was mistakenly linked to the exchange or if an external perpetrator is responsible for the transfers.
其实你如果仔细看 Moon 的文章，就能发现问题在哪。
首先，我们第一时间排查了内部的所有账号，没有官方行为。从逻辑上也很好理解，如果火币真有这样的计划，一两个月前完全可以做，根本没有必要等到现在，更没有必要选择在我们即将和英国方面达成和解、整体监管环境明显向好的这个时间点去做。…
— 火币六爷｜火币TradFi负费率 (@HTX_Molly) August 20, 2026
On May 26, the UK imposed restrictions against Huobi Global SA. In July, the EU joined in, adding HTX (formerly Huobi Global SA) to the list of organizations with which transactions are prohibited—this ban took effect for the exchange on August 23.
In 2022, an unknown user distributed 0.1 ETH from addresses associated with Tornado Cash to wallets of well-known crypto industry figures. Recipients included Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Tron founder Justin Sun.
After receiving such a transfer, Aave temporarily blocked Sun’s wallet. Later, TRM Labs analysts identified similar “dust attacks” as a challenge for sanctions compliance.
