In an unprecedented clerical error, the World Bank confirmed that it mistakenly transferred $2.3 billion into the cryptocurrency wallet of a 17-year-old Nigerian computer science student identified only as “Chinedu M.”
According to internal sources, the funds were intended for an international infrastructure project involving five African nations. However, due to a single-digit error in a smart contract address, the massive sum was rerouted to a Binance-linked wallet registered under Chinedu’s name.
The teen, a resident of Enugu State, claimed he initially thought the deposit was a “bug bounty” or reward from a blockchain community, stating:
“At first, I thought it was a new Web3 grant. I even bought my mum a car.”
After several failed attempts to reverse the transaction through centralized exchange support, the World Bank issued an official request to Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance and Interpol for assistance. In response, Chinedu reportedly offered to return $2 billion but requested to keep $300 million “as a finder’s fee.”
The case has sparked a global debate about decentralization, smart contract vulnerabilities, and digital asset regulation. Crypto forums are already hailing the teenager as the “New Satoshi,” with hashtags like #KeepTheCrypto and #WorldBankGlitch trending on X.
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World Bank President Ajay Banga called the incident “a sobering moment for institutional finance,” adding that protocols for cross-border blockchain transactions will be “urgently reviewed.”
Meanwhile, Chinedu’s social media accounts have exploded in popularity. He now has over 2.7 million followers on TikTok, where he recently posted a video captioned, “I only pressed send.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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