TL;DR
- Hack Impact: Mercado Bitcoin reported a loss of about $38 million after attackers drained hot wallets across at least 10 blockchains.
- Recovery Efforts: Roughly $11 million has been frozen with assistance from Tether, Circle, and Chainalysis, and investigations remain active.
- Customer Protection: The exchange says no customer data was compromised and has pledged to fully cover losses so users are not financially affected.
Brazilian crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin says customers will not bear losses following a major security incident that targeted the platform’s hot wallets across multiple blockchains. The attack, which occurred on Monday, initially appeared to involve more than $40 million in stolen assets. However, Mercado Bitcoin later said the actual loss was approximately $38 million and confirmed that a portion of the funds has already been frozen with assistance from industry partners.
The incident prompted the exchange to temporarily suspend access to its platform as a precautionary measure while investigations got underway. According to the exchange, no customer data was exposed during the breach, and teams immediately began tracing the stolen assets and coordinating with authorities.
Atualização sobre o incidente: o Mercado Bitcoin assegura que você não terá nenhuma perda de ativos em razão do incidente de segurança que identificamos hoje em nossa plataforma.
Identificamos uma ocorrência em nossa plataforma na madrugada de hoje. Como medida preventiva para…
— Mercado Bitcoin (@MercadoBitcoin) November 2, 2026
Exchange Responds to Multi-Chain Attack
The exploit affected hot wallets across at least 10 blockchains, making it one of the most significant security events Mercado Bitcoin has faced. Following the attack, the company moved quickly to contain potential risks by restricting platform access and launching its response procedures. In an update shared after the incident, Mercado Bitcoin stated that customer balances would remain protected despite the losses.
The exchange also clarified that around $11 million in assets have already been frozen. The recovery effort has involved cooperation with Tether, Circle, and Chainalysis. Mercado Bitcoin said these organizations helped identify and freeze a portion of the funds, providing an early boost to recovery efforts.
Customer Protection Remains the Priority
A key message from Mercado Bitcoin has been its commitment to covering the losses generated by the exploit. The company stated that users are not expected to suffer financial damage as a result of the breach. At the same time, Mercado Bitcoin emphasized that investigations remain ongoing. Teams continue to monitor blockchain activity, trace the movement of assets, and work alongside authorities involved in the case.
Attack Follows Industry’s Largest Hack
The breach occurred only days after the massive Binance security incident, in which hackers stole more than $6 billion. Binance reopened withdrawals on Sunday following that event. The FBI attributed the Binance attack to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group. Against that backdrop, the incident involving Mercado Bitcoin has added fresh attention to exchange security across the crypto sector. Even so, Mercado Bitcoin maintains that customer funds will remain protected and that Mercado Bitcoin users should not experience losses from the attack.
