Brazil's largest crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals after a breach involving $46.4M in assets, per Arkham; Tether froze 4.5M+ USDT in response (Jason Shubnell/The Block)
Mercado Bitcoin stopped processing user withdrawals following an incident where $46.4 million in assets were compromised, according to blockchain analytics entity Arkham. In an effort to contain the fallout, stablecoin operator Tether froze over 4.5 million USDT tied to the breached funds. Full technical specifics regarding the intrusion remain undisclosed, and the exchange has not clarified when withdrawal operations will resume.
Key points
The platform faces operational disruption with no announced timeline for the restoration…: The platform faces operational disruption with no announced timeline for the restoration of client withdrawals.
Rapid intervention by stablecoin issuer Tether helped secure over 4.5 million USDT of the…: Rapid intervention by stablecoin issuer Tether helped secure over 4.5 million USDT of the compromised funds.
The full scope of the security failure remains unconfirmed as the exchange investigates t…: The full scope of the security failure remains unconfirmed as the exchange investigates the unauthorized asset movements.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Apple: |
Marcus Mendes / 9to5Mac: |
Bailey Lipschultz / Bloomberg: |
Ashley Capoot / CNBC: |
Yasutaka Tamura / Bloomberg: |
Rikiya Takehi: |
Aaron Tilley / The Information: |
Bruno Ferreira / Tom's Hardware: |
Anhata Rooprai / Reuters: |
Bloomberg: |
Washington Post: |
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
Siladitya Ray / Forbes: |
Samantha Subin / CNBC: |
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine: |
Kelly Cloonan / Wall Street Journal: |
Wall Street Journal: |
OpenAI: |
Liam Proven / The Register: |
Matt Burgess / Wired: |
Scott Alexander / LessWrong: |
Reuters: |
Jason Shubnell / The Block: |
Todd Spangler / Variety: |
Reuters: |
SemiAnalysis: |
This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 5:50 PM ET, November 2, 2026.
The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.
Blockchain data reveals that perpetrators of the massive October 29 cyberattack conceded roughly $119 million via unfavorable slippage during their escape attempts. Market participants capable of navigating frozen exchange rails exploited dramatic cross-venue discrepancies caused by the attackers' desperate buying. This rapid capital flight warped decentralized liquidity pools before centralized authorities managed to halt the illicit token flows.
Pyongyang officially rejected accusations linking state-sponsored actors to the record-breaking exchange compromise, branding Washington's public attribution a politically motivated fabrication. The friction follows federal assertions tying the breach to a known regime cyber unit that regularly funds state initiatives through illicit operations. The development underscores escalating friction between global investigators and persistent state-backed hacking outfits targeting modern financial infrastructure.
Persistent pressure from climbing household debt and elevated global energy costs continues to challenge policymakers in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Despite the latest cooling in consumer prices, the reading remains firmly detached from the central bank's medium-term mandate. Consequently, monetary authorities are expected to push forward with policy tightening in upcoming meetings to anchor broader economic expectations.