Wall Street’s trillion-dollar dilemma: Why AI-powered hackers are keeping big banks off the blockchain

Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Wall Street’s trillion-dollar dilemma: Why AI-powered hackers are keeping big banks off the blockchain CertiK CEO and co-founder Ronghui Gu says April was the worst month for DeFi in four years with exploits on 27 out of 30 days. By Olivier Acuna | Edited by Jamie Crawley May 30, 2026, 3:00 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on CertiK s Ronghui Gu said that April has been the worse month in four years in terms of DeFi exploits.(Ronghui Gu for CoinDesk) What to know : Traditional financial institutions are interested in moving trillions of dollars of assets onchain over the next decade but are deterred by pervasive security risks. CertiK CEO Ronghui Gu says near-daily hacks—many accelerated by AI and targeting smart contracts, oracles and cross-chain bridges—are a major barrier to large-scale institutional adoption. Recent exploits, including a $1.46 billion Bybit hack and hundreds of millions drained from Drift Protocol and Kelp Dao, underscore how well-funded attackers outspend constrained defenders and expose systemic vulnerabilities in DeFi. Traditional financial institutions are preparing to move trillions of dollars of assets onchain, but the risk of hacks and exploits is putting them off, according to blockchain security firm CertiK s CEO Ronghui Gu.