Watch Out: Claims of Manipulation Regarding an Altcoin Are Circulating

L2Beat, an analytics platform that tracks Ethereum layer-2 networks, announced that it has excluded approximately $7 billion worth of non-circulating tokens held in multi-signature wallets controlled by the $RAIN team from Arbitrum’s Total Guaranteed Value (TVS) calculation.

Despite the adjustment, the value of $RAIN tokens within TVS on Arbitrum remains at approximately $2.6 billion. This figure makes $RAIN the largest asset on Arbitrum, surpassing USDC and Ethereum (ETH).

L2Beat researchers described the resulting picture as “clearly illogical,” arguing that they believe the $RAIN token has been “heavily manipulated.” The platform noted that a more comprehensive investigation into the token’s valuation and Arbitrum’s impact on the TVS metric is underway.

The TVS metric is used to measure the total value of assets secured by a blockchain or layer-2 network. However, including tokens that are not in circulation and are held in wallets controlled by the project team can make the network’s true economic size appear higher than it actually is.

Developed on the Arbitrum platform, $RAIN operates as a protocol focused on prediction markets. In May, the project announced a $100 million liquidity commitment, briefly becoming one of the top three prediction market protocols by valuation.

L2Beat’s review raised new questions about $RAIN’s market capitalization, as well as the transparency of the team-controlled token supply and Arbitrum’s impact on TVS data.