Mercado Bitcoin Lets Customers Check Balances After the Nov. 2 Hack

Brazilian crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin is letting users look at their accounts again, though they cannot move any money yet. Viewing opens at 19:00 UTC and should reach every account by 21:00 UTC, showing balances exactly as they were on Nov. 2, the day of the attack. Fabricio Tota, the company’s vice president of new business, said the idea is to reassure people that their assets are still on the books. He added that the exchange chose a slower, more careful path so the full return happens as securely as possible.

How the Exchange Plans to Cover Stolen Funds

Mercado Bitcoin says it serves more than 4.8 million customers and has handled over 215 billion reais, about $39 billion, in transactions. It is replacing the stolen assets with its own money, supported by a $20 million investment from Tether in July, and promised on Nov. 4 that users will not bear the losses. Tota said almost all assets were never touched, and part of the stolen funds was frozen within hours of the alert. Security analysts believe the attackers reached addresses and drained them through ordinary transfers rather than a smart contract flaw.

Withdrawals and Pix Payments Still Waiting on a Date

Before moving funds, users will have to confirm their registration details. Pix withdrawals, Brazil’s instant payment system, will return later, at first only to accounts held in the customer’s own name. No dates have been given for either step or for withdrawals in general. The exchange also has not explained how the attackers got into its wallets. Bitquery found that as of Nov. 4, wallets linked to the attacker held most of the stolen funds that escaped freezing, including 106.07 BTC.