{
  "id": 17137596,
  "title": "Binance pauses withdrawals as hackers suspected of stealing billions in crypto",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/binance-pauses-withdrawals-as-hackers-suspected-of-stealing-billions",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-29T22:27:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCrunch",
    "slug": "techcrunch",
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/29/binance-pauses-withdrawals-as-hackers-suspected-of-stealing-billions-in-crypto/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has temporarily halted withdrawals from multiple networks as a precautionary measure following a suspected security incident. Users have reported that funds have been drained from the exchange's wallets. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who still holds the largest share of the company, stated that he expects users' funds to be \"fully covered,\" but did not provide further details. Financial technology firm Circle froze $800 million in Tether, and Tether itself froze $1.56 billion related to Binance's hack. Analysts estimate that at least $2 billion has been stolen from Binance's hot wallets, but the total loss may exceed $5.7 billion. The exchange's security team is urgently reviewing the situation, and Binance has advised users to be cautious of scams and not to trust unofficial links or requests for account information. The origin of the hack remains unclear, and Binance has not received any communication from the hackers. If confirmed, this incident could rank among the largest crypto breaches in history, surpassing the $1.4 billion stolen from Bybit in 2025. Earlier that day, prediction market giant Polymarket also experienced a security breach, leading to a temporary halt in trading and the loss of around $2 million in user funds.",
  "summary": "Some estimates say hackers stole billions in crypto from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, during a cyberattack on Thursday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Cointelegraph",
        "title": "Binance files for Brazil crypto license ahead of Friday deadline",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/binance-files-for-brazil-crypto-license-ahead-of-friday-deadline",
        "published": "2026-10-27T08:04:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euromaidan Press",
        "title": "Russian court jails IT company director for 13 years over crypto donations after Binance shared his data, rights group says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/russian-court-jails-it-company-director-for-13-years-over-crypto",
        "published": "2026-10-27T15:32:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Mashable",
        "title": "Binance has reportedly been hacked, billions in crypto stolen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/binance-has-reportedly-been-hacked-billions-in-crypto-stolen",
        "published": "2026-10-30T00:19:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Binance crypto platform suspends trades amid suspected hack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/binance-crypto-platform-suspends-trades-amid-suspected-hack",
        "published": "2026-10-30T00:55:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Technology",
        "title": "Crypto giant Binance freezes $2.5bn of assets over suspected hack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/crypto-giant-binance-freezes-2-5bn-of-assets-over-suspected-hack",
        "published": "2026-10-30T00:59:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Toronto Sun",
        "title": "Crypto platform Binance confirms major hack, more than $2.5B in funds frozen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/crypto-platform-binance-confirms-major-hack-more-than-2-5b-in-funds",
        "published": "2026-10-30T02:20:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "SCMP Business",
        "title": "Binance pledges to cover losses after US$6 billion crypto hack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/binance-pledges-to-cover-losses-after-us-6-billion-crypto-hack",
        "published": "2026-10-30T03:26:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}