- •The crypto market faced its worst liquidation event to date
- •Altcoins like ATOM dropped to near‑zero values
- •Recovery could take a significant amount of time
The crypto market has just experienced the worst liquidation event in its history, surpassing even the darkest days of FTX, the COVID‑19 crash in 2020, and the brutal bear market of 2018. Billions were wiped out across exchanges within hours, with both institutional and retail investors feeling the heat.
This wasn’t a normal dip—it was a market‑wide purge. The speed and scale of the liquidations were unprecedented, triggered by a combination of leveraged positions, panic selling, and a cascade of forced closures. Some analysts are calling it the “capitulation moment” crypto had managed to avoid for years.
Altcoins Devastated: ATOM Nearly Hits Zero
While Bitcoin and Ethereum saw steep losses, the altcoin market bore the brunt of the bloodbath. ATOM (Cosmos) was one of the hardest hit, plunging so far that some traders described its value as “essentially zero.” It wasn’t alone—many lesser‑known tokens lost over 90% of their value in a matter of hours.
This kind of liquidation isn’t just a price correction. It’s a system reset. Even long‑term supporters are reassessing their portfolios, and DeFi protocols are reeling from the impact. Stablecoins held, but confidence in smaller projects has been severely shaken.
Worst liquidation event ever in the history of crypto today.
— Lark Davis (@TheCryptoLark) October 11, 2025
Worse than FTX, worse than Covid, worse than 2018.
Altcoins reached ungodly lows, some essentially went to zero (ie ATOM).
This is an extremely rare event and might need some time to recover from.
Keep your head…
Long Road to Recovery Ahead
Crypto has seen crashes before, but this one cuts deep. Unlike previous downturns, this liquidation event has taken out key liquidity layers, wiped out leveraged positions, and forced out many long‑time holders.
Recovery won’t be overnight. It may take months—or longer—for the market to regain trust and capital. Builders will continue to build, but the speculative frenzy might be over for a while.
For now, all eyes are on Bitcoin’s ability to stabilize and whether institutional buyers will see this as a buying opportunity or a warning sign.

