On the night of October 30 (KST), right after the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced its decision to hold interest rates steady, the crypto market swung violently — and a South Korean trader soared to the top of Binance’s global futures leaderboard, drawing attention across the industry.
The trader, known online as “Wonyotti,” has recently reappeared under a new account name, “ILLIT.”
According to Binance’s leaderboard data, the account “ILLIT” recorded a weekly PNL (profit and loss) of $1,945,063 — roughly ₩2.77 billion, ranking first among global futures traders. The trader reportedly opened a 20x leveraged position on Bitcoin futures immediately after the FOMC announcement and realized massive short-term gains within hours.
Wonyotti is already regarded as a legendary figure in the crypto community. In March 2024, he made headlines by ranking on BitMEX with an estimated profit of 3,670 BTC (about ₩370 billion at the time). After a long hiatus, his reappearance through the “ILLIT” account has earned him the nickname “the return of the hidden master.”
This week’s FOMC decision was widely expected, yet Chair Jerome Powell’s dovish comments on potential monetary easing next year reignited investor appetite for risk assets. Bitcoin jumped over 4% immediately after the announcement, and most altcoins followed. Traders who correctly captured the direction of the move made huge profits, while those in opposite positions faced widespread liquidations.
Analysts acknowledge Wonyotti’s sharp market instincts but warn that 20x leverage represents an extremely high-risk strategy. In such volatile 24-hour markets, even small directional errors can lead to total loss of capital.
In Korea, leverage for crypto derivatives is capped at 2x, but overseas exchanges like Binance still allow much higher ratios — exposing a persistent investor-protection gap. As Korea prepares to implement the Digital Asset Basic Act, calls for tighter oversight on high-risk derivative trading are resurfacing.
The “ILLIT” account’s No. 1 ranking is both a remarkable individual achievement and a reminder of the market’s extreme volatility. Behind every story of millions gained lies countless untold stories of liquidation. In the end, the true master may not be the one who wins big overnight, but the one who survives through the chaos.
