Mercado Bitcoin withdrawals: still paused, balances viewable Nov 9

Where things stand. Mercado Bitcoin, a large Brazilian exchange, was hit by a security incident in the early hours of Monday, Nov 2, 2026. Its first post on X said the team had quickly found and contained a problem in one of its systems, that clients suffered no loss, that no data leaked, and that deposits and withdrawals were suspended as a precaution. In the latest report we found, from Nov 6, withdrawals were still suspended.

What comes next. The company says it will reopen in stages. From Monday, Nov 9, clients can log in on the website only and see balances, statements and holdings, as recorded before the incident. Transfers, withdrawals and trading come later. An executive said they will return by groups of crypto assets and blockchain networks, and that there is no timetable yet for full recovery. Dates will come only through official channels.

How much. The figures differ. Hypernative, a blockchain security firm, flagged suspicious moves that may exceed $40 million, about R$217.7 million according to Tecnoblog. The company did not confirm that estimate at the time. ESET's WeLiveSecurity reports that the company's own evening post gave about $38 million, with $11 million blocked. Valor Econômico later reported $49.2 million, with more than $16 million blocked. Treat these as reported figures, not a settled number.

Who covers it. The company says clients will not lose assets and that it will restore the assets involved with its own funds. A Mercado Bitcoin executive said a plan to buy the assets back with partners in Brazil and abroad is already running. He said about $33 million is still with the attacker, roughly 3% of the assets the company holds for clients. He did not say how much cash the company has or what the buyback will cost. He added that the stolen assets sat in hot wallets, which stay online for daily transfers, while most client funds are in cold wallets, which keep keys offline.

What nobody has said. The company has not said how the attacker got in or whether anyone has been identified. It has not tied the case to the Binance incident of a few days earlier, and neither do we. Our page on that case: https://freekonomist.com/investigations/binance-hack/ . More crypto context: https://freekonomist.com/en/crowd/ .

Caveat. We could not open the company's own site or posts directly. Its statements here come through the press reports we cite.

Hechos confirmados

• On Monday, Nov 2, 2026, Mercado Bitcoin said on X that it had identified and quickly contained a security incident in one of its systems, with no loss to clients and no data leak, and suspended deposits and withdrawals as a precaution.^[5][6]
• Hypernative, a blockchain security firm, flagged suspicious moves from wallets linked to the exchange that may exceed $40 million; Tecnoblog put this at about R$217.7 million and wrote that the company did not confirm the amount.^[5][6]
• WeLiveSecurity reports that the company's evening post of Nov 2 put the amount involved at about $38 million, with $11 million blocked together with partners including Tether, Circle, Paxos, BRL1 and Chainalysis.^[4]
• Valor reported on Nov 2 that about $49 million was diverted and $11.2 million blocked, and on Nov 6 that $49.2 million was involved and the company had blocked more than $16 million.^[2][3]
• The company said it would restore access to accounts gradually from Monday, Nov 9, first through the website only, to see balances, statements, holdings and investments; transfers, withdrawals and trading will return in later stages with dates announced on official channels.^[1]
• Executive Fabrício Tota said the balances shown will be those recorded before the incident, that trading, withdrawals and deposits will return by groups of crypto assets and blockchain networks, and that no timetable for full normalization has been set.^[2]
• The company said it would restore the assets involved in the incident with its own funds; Tota said a buyback plan with partners in Brazil and abroad is already running and about $33 million is still with the attacker, roughly 3% of the assets the company holds.^[1][2]
• Tota said the stolen assets were in hot wallets and that most client funds are in cold wallets; he did not say how the attackers got in or whether they were identified.^[2]
• The company said it never asks for a password, verification code or recovery phrase, and does not offer refunds by link, WhatsApp or call; official information appears only in its app, website and profiles.^[3]
• The company has not said who is behind the incident or tied it to the Binance case of days earlier.^[4]

Implicaciones

• ConfirmadoWithdrawals are still suspended, and the first step on Nov 9 is view-only access on the website.
• ConfirmadoThe company says clients will not lose assets and that it will restore the assets involved with its own funds. This is its promise, and the buyback is under way.
• Nuestra lecturaReopening on Nov 9 does not mean withdrawals are back: access returns in steps, and the dates are not set. This is our conclusion.
• Nuestra lecturaReported amounts differ by outlet, so no single figure should be treated as final. This is our conclusion.

Todavía no se sabe

• When transfers, withdrawals and trading return, and in what order of assets and networks
• How the attacker got in, and whether anyone has been identified by the authorities
• The final amount involved and how much will be recovered
• How much cash the company has and what the buyback will cost

A quién afecta

Brazil, Global. Mercado Bitcoin clients and anyone who keeps crypto on an exchange

Fuentes

1. Estadão (Broadcast): Mercado Bitcoin libera acesso às contas dia 9; saques seguem suspensos 4 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
2. Valor Econômico: Mercado Bitcoin inicia plano de recompra de criptomoedas após ataque hacker 6 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
3. Valor Econômico: Mercado Bitcoin bloqueia US$ 11,2 milhões de US$ 49 milhões envolvidos em ataque hacker 2 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
4. WeLiveSecurity (ESET): Ataque ao Mercado Bitcoin: o que se sabe sobre o incidente 4 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
5. InvestNews: Mercado Bitcoin sofre ataque hacker e trava saques 2 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
6. Tecnoblog: Mercado Bitcoin pode ter perdido R$ 217 milhões em ataque hacker 2 de noviembre de 2026 · medios