Major cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and Bitget have initiated investigations into the recent trading activity surrounding RaveDAO's RAVE token, following allegations by on-chain analyst ZachXBT that insiders orchestrated a significant short squeeze, driving the token's rapid price surge. Bitget's CEO, Gracy Chen, confirmed the exchange has started investigating the matter, while Binance CEO Richard Teng stated that the platform is also examining the claims and will always investigate signs of market misconduct. Another exchange, Gate, was also implicated in ZachXBT's investigation. A $10,000 bounty has been offered by ZachXBT for whistleblowers to come forward with evidence about the parties involved.
The little-known project experienced a massive rally, resulting in over $44 million in RAVE positions being liquidated in a single day, with most of these positions being bearish. The short squeeze highlighted the concentration of RAVE tokens within a small set of wallets, with nearly 90% of the supply held in just three Gnosis Safe wallets at the time. Investigators have also flagged token transfers to exchanges shortly before the rally began, with millions of tokens being moved to exchanges before prices started surging. RaveDAO, a Web3 project focused on electronic music events, offering blockchain-based ticketing and community governance, reported $3 million in revenue in 2025.
However, the token's market behavior has been highly erratic, trading below $0.50 for most of its history before surging in April. The token jumped from around $0.30 to over $6 in a single day and then climbed past $27 before starting to recede. At its peak, the token's market value briefly exceeded $6 billion, placing it among the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap before dropping. The token is now down more than 50% from its peak and 30% over the last 24 hours.
Claims have also emerged of a 'bait and liquidate' pattern, where visible transfers suggest selling pressure, drawing traders into short positions. If those tokens are later withdrawn while prices rise, short sellers may be forced to buy back at higher prices, driving further gains for those on the other side of the trade. These claims remain unproven, but the concentration of supply suggests it's a real possibility. Community reports have linked the project to figures associated with earlier crypto ventures, including ARPA and Bella Protocol, though those connections have not been independently verified.
RaveDAO has addressed the situation in a social media thread, stating that the team is not engaged in, nor responsible for, recent price action. The team did not address specific on-chain allegations but confirmed plans to liquidate portions of unlocked tokens 'when appropriate.' RaveDAO is exploring appropriate models, including price-triggered or performance-triggered locks, that tie team incentives to ecosystem growth, but has not committed to any specific mechanism or timeline.
CoinDesk has reached out to RaveDAO for comments.