FBI says North Korea behind $6bn crypto theft from Binance
NEW YORK
The FBI accused North Korea of stealing more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance in what is thought to be the biggest-ever crypto heist. The US law enforcement agency’s statement came as Binance offered reassurances that it was covering the losses from the hacking attack, saying it has used company funds to buy tokens to replenish 90% of what was stolen.
Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange by daily trading volumes. News of the cyberattack caused the prices of most major cryptocurrencies to fall sharply on Friday. The FBI confirmed earlier suspicions from private investigators and analysts that a North Korea-affiliated group called TraderTraitor was behind the hack.
TraderTraitor is the same group blamed for a $1.5 billion theft from the Bybit platform in February last year. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is releasing information advising the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion USD in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026,” the statement said.
The FBI added that it had observed “TraderTraitor actors” converting stolen assets into Ethereum, and expected those assets to be laundered further by converting them using decentralised finance and instant swap services. It said it was urging private sector entities “to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets.”
US President Donald Trump, however, cast doubt on North Korea’s involvement in the hack. “I’m not concerned. We’re learning about it. We don’t know if it’s North Korea,” Trump told reporters at his residence in Florida late Saturday. The president often reflects with pride on summits he held with North Korean leader Kim Jong
Binance resumed bitcoin withdrawals on Sunday and said others would follow in phases after covering 95% of the $6.3 billion in tokens stolen from its platform in the world’s largest digital heist. The heist, which analysts say may be the biggest financial robbery ever, adds to a string of crypto thefts. Last year, attackers stole $2.9 billion worth of cryptocurrency across nearly 150 attacks, according to researchers at TRM Labs.
Binance, founded in China, posted on its status page shortly after 0600 GMT that the planned withdrawals had begun. The first phase is to cover 15 cryptoassets including bitcoin, ether, XRP and dogecoin.
