MANTRA Pauses All New Unbonding for Seven Days After Wallet Exploit
The layer-1 chain for real world assets froze new staking withdrawals on November 13 as attackers used a Web3Auth and Keplr key exploit to unbond stolen stakes without consent.
Key Takeaways
- MANTRA paused all new unbonding for seven days on November 13, 2026.
- The pause answers a Web3Auth and Keplr wallet exploit that let attackers unbond staked MANTRA without their owners' consent.
- Unbondings already in progress are not frozen, and affected stakers are asked to redelegate before the eight-day window completes.
- Governance Proposal 41 has already frozen several of the attackers' wallets.
MANTRA (MANTRA) paused all new unbonding of staked tokens for seven days on November 13, 2026, after a Web3Auth and Keplr wallet exploit let attackers start unbonding stolen stakes without their owners' consent. The layer-1 blockchain for real world assets said the emergency pause is network-wide and will be reviewed after seven days.
Why MANTRA Pulled the Emergency Stop
The pause is MANTRA's answer to an ongoing private-key exploit affecting Web3Auth and Keplr wallets. After draining liquid MANTRA from compromised wallets, attackers began unbonding the same users' staked tokens, the team said in its announcement on X. The team said it had received numerous complaints from users whose staked tokens were being unbonded without consent. The exploit sits upstream of MANTRA itself. It targets wallet infrastructure rather than the chain's validators, but it reaches staked MANTRA whenever a victim's key is compromised.
Governance Proposal 41 has already frozen several of the attackers' wallets. MANTRA says it is supporting Web3Auth and Keplr in their recovery work.
How the Unbonding Pause Works
MANTRA pushed the freeze through as a single on-chain transaction that disables new unbonding requests for every account, and it published the transaction ID in its announcement. Unbondings that started before the pause keep running on the normal eight-day schedule. MANTRA is asking affected stakers to redelegate before that window completes so the attackers cannot collect the tokens. After a redelegation, any new unbonding request stays paused until MANTRA lifts the freeze. Staking itself keeps working normally.
What Comes Next for Stakers
MANTRA is a layer-1 blockchain built on the Cosmos SDK for regulatory-compliant real world asset tokenization, and its token is used for staking, governance and fees, according to Coinranking's MANTRA overview. The team says it will review the pause in seven days and reserves the right to make further pauses, calling the step one it did not take lightly but that is needed to limit damage from the upstream exploit.
The live MANTRA chart shows the token at about $0.0022, down roughly 14% over the past 24 hours, on 24-hour trading volume of about $3.6 million.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Did MANTRA Pause Unbonding?
MANTRA paused all new unbonding on November 13, 2026, for an initial seven days.
Why Did MANTRA Pause Unbonding?
Attackers exploiting Web3Auth and Keplr wallets began unbonding staked MANTRA without their owners' consent, and the pause is meant to stop further losses.
Can Holders Still Unbond MANTRA?
No. New unbonding requests are disabled network-wide during the pause, which MANTRA will review after seven days.
What about Unbondings Already in Progress?
They continue on the normal eight-day schedule. MANTRA asks affected stakers to redelegate before that window completes.
What Is MANTRA?
MANTRA is a layer-1 blockchain built for tokenizing real world assets, with its token used for staking, governance and fees.
Sources
- MANTRA emergency unbonding pause announcement · MANTRA
- Prices and market data · Coinranking
