MANTRA blockchain halts after exploit, token plunges 18% to record low

MANTRA Chain has halted all network operations, freezing transactions, endpoints, and exchange transfers after an attacker exploited a vulnerability in an upstream software dependency on August 20, 2026. Amid the outage, MANTRA's native token plunged 18.5% to an all-time low of $0.004126, while trading volume surged nearly 600%. Developers are preparing a patch to coordinate a restart with validators. The exploit adds pressure to the project, which suffered a massive token collapse in 2025 and is currently awaiting the closure of an acquisition by Inveniam Capital Partners.

MANTRA Chain exploit halt

• ▪The MANTRA Chain outage affected public endpoints, validators, bridge operations, and MANTRA-managed Inter-Blockchain Communication relays
• ▪MANTRA Chain halted block production and froze all transactions, endpoints, deposits, and withdrawals on August 20, 2026, following a software exploit

Upstream software vulnerability

• ▪MANTRA Chain developers did not immediately disclose the specific software exploited, how the attack worked, or whether any assets were lost
• ▪MANTRA Chain developers identified the root cause of the network halt as an attacker exploiting a vulnerability in an upstream software dependency

OM token record low

• ▪Following the network halt, the MANTRA token trading volume surged nearly 600% to $24 million over a 24-hour period
• ▪The MANTRA token plunged 18.5% from a 24-hour high of $0.005060 to an all-time low of $0.004126 on August 20, 2026, around 11:10 p.m. UTC

Network restart coordination

• ▪MANTRA Chain developers are preparing a patched software release to address the vulnerability and restart the network
• ▪Restarting the MANTRA Chain blockchain requires coordination with offline validators to test the fix and verify transactions

2025 token collapse

• ▪MANTRA's former OM token collapsed more than 90% in April 2025, wiping out more than $5 billion in market value
• ▪MANTRA underwent restructuring and layoffs in January 2026 following what CEO John Patrick Mullin described as the project's most challenging year

Inveniam acquisition pending

• ▪The acquisition of MANTRA by Inveniam Capital Partners is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026
• ▪Inveniam Capital Partners, which invested $20 million in MANTRA in 2025, announced plans in June 2026 to acquire the project

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