Brazilian Exchange Mercado Bitcoin Hacked, Loses Approximately $38 Million, Pledges to Compensate Users

On November 4, according to Bitcoin.com News, Brazilian cryptocurrency exchange Mercado Bitcoin disclosed on November 2 a security incident in which approximately $38 million in digital assets were stolen. Additionally, Arkham Intelligence analyst Emmett Gallic estimates that suspicious transfers exceeded $46 million, though both figures remain unverified.

The exchange stated that users will not suffer asset losses from this incident. The platform has suspended deposits, withdrawals, and site services, and has notified relevant authorities. Preliminary analysis indicates the attacker may have compromised the signing credentials used for transaction authorization. According to Bitquery analysis, the suspicious transactions span multiple chains including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Stellar, Arbitrum, Tron, and Polygon, while the specific intrusion method remains undetermined.

Mercado Bitcoin said it has collaborated with Tether, Circle, Paxos, BRL1, and Chainalysis to freeze $11 million in assets and has identified other funds eligible for freezing. The platform has not yet announced a specific timeline for resuming services.