MANTRA Launches Investigation into OM Token’s 92% Price Drop – What’s Next?

• MANTRA investigates the 92% OM token price drop on 13 April to boost market stability.
• Forced liquidations and low trading volume caused the sharp OM token price decline.
• MANTRA announces token buyback, burn initiative, and transparency to support holders.

MANTRA has launched an analysis of the OM token’s sharp 92% decline on April 13th, which sparked significant concern among the token’s community. The sudden drop, occurring around 18:28 UTC, caught token holders off guard and raised alarms due to its unprecedented nature. In response, the MANTRA team initiated an investigation to determine the underlying causes of the price movement and to confirm the current circulating supply of OM tokens. This effort aims to address community concerns and reinforce the market’s future stability.

ERC-20 Token Circulation

However, the report revealed that the MANTRA team was unable to make any sales during the market aggregate shock. All Mainnet OM tokens allocated to the team and advisors remain locked. The losses were associated with the ERC-20 OM tokens, which were fully distributed and in public circulation.

Specifically, the total supply of classic ERC-20 tokens was distributed amongst the users, with 99.995% of tokens circulating within more than 123,000 wallets by 15 April. These tokens were initiated in August 2020, and hence, they are fully liquid and tradeable, which means that the trading activity was by external holders and broader market dynamics, and not by the MANTRA team.

Related: The Ghost of FTX Past? Allegations Haunt Mantra (OM) Following Shocking 90% Drop

In October 2024, with the launch of MANTRA Chain, a new supply of 888.88 million OM tokens was minted on the native blockchain. Of the total token supply, 77.5 million OM tokens are currently in circulation, representing a substantial share of the overall supply.

Low Volume Impact

The results showed that many OM tokens were transferred to the exchange as collateral at low trading volume. This led to forced selling and programs disposing of their holdings, which added further pressure on the token. 

First, the forced liquidations happened during periods of low market turnover, thereby triggering a negative feedback loop and price declines. The gaps between the exchange prices, especially OKX and Binance prices, deepened the liquidation phase.

Related: MANTRA Fights Back: CEO Outlines Recovery Plan and Community Support After OM Crash

In the future, MANTRA intends to take action to maintain this market and benefit its token holders. These include an OM Token buyback plan, a supply burn strategy, and John Patrick Mullin, MANTRA CEO, declaring plans to burn his team’s allocation. 

Further, the team intends to enhance coordination with exchange partners to achieve higher levels of clarity in trading activities. To improve the overall transparency in the token market, a live tokenomics bucket balance dashboard will also be implemented.