Monero (XMR) surged more than 50% on April 28, 2025, after a record $330 million Bitcoin (BTC) theft, triggering an emergency exchange into the privacy coin. Monero (XMR) 50% spike reached a record high of $338 before correcting to about $290 and currently trades around $260.
According to on-chain analyst ZachXBT, the stolen 3,520 BTC was quickly washed by six or more high-speed instant trading exchanges, most of which was traded for XMR. Record-breaking buying pressure fueled by high-speed churned record-breaking buying pressure powered XMR’s record-breaking rally high and steep.
Record Bitcoin Laundering Ignites Monero (XMR) 50% Rally
The rally began when ZachXBT noticed a strange BTC transfer in a robbery wallet. Funds were shuffled between various exchanges, and big portions were being sent to Monero.
Monero’s market reacted immediately. Volumes rocketed 360% to a whopping $250 million as shown on CoinMarketCap. Additionally, Bitfinex got an XMR high of $328, proof of the premium demand. The majority of the old exchanges had poor liquidity for XMR, thus raising the price volatility. Two of the exchanges that traded XMR, Kraken and KuCoin, drained their reserves to near zero via the mania.
Privacy Demand, Not Theft, Drives Monero Growth
Other than the laundering issue, strong demand for privacy coins further drove the action in Monero. Research by Artemis records privacy coins like XMR led altcoin performance in 2025 with a 9% sector rise.
Despite the history of previous regulations and delistings, Monero has an excellent community behind it.
Additionally, the community of Monero awaits an EP-159 update. The update would implement selective wallet tracking, and it would render XMR re-listing-compliant on major exchanges.
Prospects: Supervisory Overhaul May Catch Up With Monero’s Rise
Even as Monero’s 50% rise is exhilarating to traders, supervisory worries regarding intensified supervisory pressure persist. Chainalysis describes Monero’s dominance in illicit transactions as regulators gain the capacity to monitor Bitcoin.
With the $330 million money laundering incident, regulators are set to shine more light on privacy coins, threatening them with increased Know Your Customer (KYC) and potential exchange delistings.
Aside from these harmful consequences, Monero‘s emphasis on anonymity in finance keeps it at the forefront of the constantly changing crypto landscape.
