RaveDAO (RAVE) Price: Token Crashes 95% After Manipulation Allegations and Exchange Investigations

TLDR

RAVE token crashed from a peak of ~$28.90 to around $1.24, a drop of nearly 95% On-chain investigator ZachXBT publicly accused the project of a pump-and-dump scheme Insiders allegedly controlled over 90% of the total token supply Binance and Bitget CEOs both confirmed formal investigations into RAVE trading activity RaveDAO denied involvement, saying it was not responsible for recent price action

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RaveDAO’s native token RAVE lost nearly 95% of its value in under two days, falling from an all-time high of around $28.90 to approximately $1.24. The collapse wiped out billions in market value and shocked traders across major crypto platforms.

RaveDAO (RAVE) Price

The token had surged roughly 10,800% in just nine days, climbing from around $0.25 to $27.33. That rapid rise triggered an estimated $44 million in short liquidations, pushing prices even higher before the reversal.

On-chain investigator ZachXBT was the first to publicly flag concerns. He posted allegations of a pump-and-dump scheme and offered a $10,000 bounty for insider information. His findings spread quickly across social media and trading communities.

A summary of the RAVE -95% price fluctuation from $26 to $1 over the past 24 hours.

RAVE Timeline: April 18, 2026

7:26 am UTC: I posted a call to action for Binance, Bitget, & Gate to investigate RAVE market manipulation and offered a $10K bounty.

10:56 am UTC: I posted an… pic.twitter.com/mivKcdyBrw

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) April 19, 2026

ZachXBT’s analysis pointed to a heavily concentrated token supply. He identified nine wallets linked to the project’s initial distribution that reportedly held around 95% of total supply. He also found that 18.58 million tokens were moved to Bitget shortly before the price surge began.

Exchange Investigations Launched

Binance co-CEO Richard Teng confirmed the exchange had opened a formal investigation. Bitget CEO Gracy Chen also stated her platform was conducting an internal review. Gate.io was named in the original allegations as well.

Rather than reassuring investors, the exchange probes increased fear and uncertainty. Many traders interpreted the investigations as confirmation that something had gone wrong. Selling accelerated as confidence dropped.

The market cap loss was far larger than the liquidation volume could explain. Nearly $6 billion in value was erased against just $52 million in liquidations, raising questions about how much of the valuation was real.

RaveDAO Responds

RaveDAO issued a public statement denying any involvement in the price manipulation. The team said it was “not responsible for recent price fluctuations” and called the claims “rumors and allegations.”

1/ We are aware of the rumors and accusations circulating regarding $RAVE and RaveDAO team. We want to be clear: RaveDAO team is not engaged in, nor responsible for, recent price action. We take transparency seriously and remain humbled by the attention, but our focus is on the…

— RaveDAO (@RaveDAO) April 18, 2026

The project said unlocked tokens were sold to fund operations, but did not address specific wallet allegations. RaveDAO also highlighted its philanthropic work, including donating 20% of event profits to causes such as funding eye surgeries in Nepal.

The statement did little to ease investor concern. Many in the crypto community remained skeptical given the on-chain evidence presented by ZachXBT and other researchers.

Analysts were watching the $1.00 to $1.20 range as a potential area of stabilization. A hold above $1.50 could suggest selling pressure was easing. As of April 19, RAVE was trading near its pre-surge levels.

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