CoinDesk
Mercado Bitcoin suspended deposits and withdrawals after wallets connected to the Brazilian exchange were drained across at least 10 blockchains. Security firms estimate losses of $40 million or more. The exchange says it contained the incident, customers were not harmed and no data was breached, but how the attacker obtained signing access remains unknown.
Why it matters
The reported outflows were plain transactions, not a smart contract exploit. A report relayed by Opsek founder Pablo Sabbatella said the largest transfers occurred between 06:19 and 06:53 UTC. Assets reportedly taken include roughly 2,852 ETH, 106 BTC, 10,700 SOL, 6.7 million XLM and 77,000 AVAX, alongside more than 200 other tokens.
Mercado Bitcoin said it paused deposits and withdrawals as a precaution while it investigates, tracks the assets and coordinates with authorities. It also published destination addresses across EVM chains, Bitcoin, Solana, Stellar and Tron to support tracking.
Market impact
Tether founder Paolo Ardoino confirmed that $4.5 million worth of USDT linked to the incident has been frozen. That is a concrete intervention, but the reported losses remain above $40 million, and the exchange has not identified how the attacker gained signing access.
The incident came days after a separate $6.3 billion Binance hack attributed by the FBI to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group. No one has been blamed for the Mercado Bitcoin drain, and there is no public evidence linking the two incidents. The withdrawal pause and investigation remain the key developments for customers and the wider exchange sector.
Frequently asked questions
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How much was reportedly taken from Mercado Bitcoin wallets?
Security firms estimate losses of $40 million or more across wallets on at least 10 blockchains.
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What assets were named among the reported outflows?
The reported assets include roughly 2,852 ETH, 106 BTC, 10,700 SOL, 6.7 million XLM and 77,000 AVAX, plus more than 200 other tokens.
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How did the attacker gain access to the wallets?
The method used to obtain signing access remains unknown. The reported transfers were plain transactions, not a smart contract exploit.
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Has any of the funds been frozen?
Tether founder Paolo Ardoino confirmed that $4.5 million worth of USDT linked to the incident has been frozen.
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Is the Mercado Bitcoin incident linked to the Binance hack?
There is no public evidence connecting the incidents, and no one has been blamed for the Mercado Bitcoin drain.
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