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Magyar31 Oct 2026
The bitcoin taken in the $6.3 billion Binance hack totals 18,270 BTC, about $1.4 billion, which CoinDesk says is more than Tesla holds and over twice El Salvador's reserve. On-chain trackers say Binance is now buying back stolen assets through market and OTC channels.
Exchanges TradeReviewed News Desk
The Binance hack keeps getting bigger in perspective. According to CoinDesk, the attackers took 18,270 BTC, worth about $1.4 billion. That is more bitcoin than Tesla holds on its balance sheet, more than twice the reserve of El Salvador, and only 442 coins short of the holdings SpaceX has disclosed. Blockchain investigators link the attack to North Korea.
From a hot wallet breach to a corporate sized bitcoin stash
The bitcoin is only part of the roughly $6.3 billion taken from Binance on October 29. Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the exchange’s own hot wallet was compromised and that customer funds were unaffected, as Wu Blockchain summarised. We covered the North Korea angle and the wider 2026 hack data in our report on North Korea’s share of 2026 crypto hack losses.
Unlike stablecoins, bitcoin cannot be frozen by an issuer. That is why the size of the BTC haul matters: a wallet holding 18,270 BTC sits in the same league as some of the largest corporate treasuries, and any attempt to move or launder it is watched closely by analytics firms and exchanges.
Binance buying back stolen assets, trackers say
On-chain tracker Lookonchain says Binance is buying back the stolen assets through market channels and OTC deals. It also flagged that Ethena deposited 128.63 million ENA, about $24 million, into Binance over an eight hour window. Lookonchain did not say what the deposit was for, so traders should not read it as a confirmed deal.
The policy fallout is also building. US Senator Cynthia Lummis said the CLARITY Act would have given crypto firms legal cover to freeze funds the moment law enforcement calls, Cointelegraph reported. The bill remains stuck in the Senate after a 49 to 50 vote.
What it means for traders
- BTC traded near $77,250 on Saturday morning, down about 1.6% over 24 hours on OKX data. Weekend liquidity is thin, so large OTC or on-chain moves linked to the hack can hit prices harder than usual.
- Watch wallets tied to the attacker. Any move of the 18,270 BTC toward mixers, bridges or exchanges is a headline risk.
- Exchange security now matters as much as fees. Compare platforms in our crypto exchange comparison, read the BingX review (number 1) and the OKX review (number 2), see how we test exchanges, or start with where to buy your first Bitcoin.
This is not financial advice.
Sources
- CoinDesk: Bitcoin stolen from Binance tops Tesla’s holdings and is over twice El Salvador’s reserve
- Lookonchain on X: Binance buying back stolen assets
- Cointelegraph on X: Lummis on the CLARITY Act
- Wu Blockchain on X: Richard Teng statement
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Sources
- CoinDesk: Bitcoin stolen from Binance tops Tesla's holdings and is over twice El Salvador's reserve
- Lookonchain: Binance is buying back the stolen assets through market channels and OTC deals
- Cointelegraph: Lummis: CLARITY Act would have given legal cover to freeze funds
News is for information only and is not financial advice. More crypto news
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