Empowa encountered an unauthorized transfer incident: approximately 4.24 million EMP and 143,700 ADA were stolen

Cardano ecosystem project Empowa disclosed that two interconnected unauthorized asset transfer incidents occurred involving its three project wallets. Between November 2025 and June 2026, approximately 143,710 ADA was transferred out in 18 transactions from one project treasury wallet, which was also registered and claimed by unknown individuals using the private key corresponding to the Midnight airdrop, of which about 36,000 NIGHT has been transferred away.

From June to August 2026, approximately 4.24 million EMP was transferred out from the other two project wallets, some of which have been sold through Minswap, VyFi, and others. Empowa stated that the funds from the two incidents ultimately flowed to the same intermediary wallet, indicating control by the same party, but the identity of the individuals operating these private keys cannot currently be confirmed. The project team has hired a professional blockchain investigation agency and plans to seek KYC information through the centralized exchanges where the relevant funds ultimately entered.