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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"d36515b8-1900-4e24-8185-9e799e7faaa9","kind":"publish","page_slug":"mercado-bitcoin","published_at":"2026-11-05T12:15:46.078Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Mercado Bitcoin","sections":[{"content":"On November 2, 2026, Mercado Bitcoin confirmed a security incident affecting one of its systems and temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals as a precautionary measure. The exchange has avoided using the word \"hack\" in its public statements and has not confirmed a specific loss figure. Independent blockchain security firm Hypernative flagged more than $40 million in suspicious transfers moving across at least ten different blockchains in connection with the incident. Blockchain analytics platform Arkham put the figure at approximately $46.3 million, a number cited by multiple outlets including The Block. Some blockchain security researchers publicly disputed Mercado Bitcoin's assertion that customer funds were not accessed, presenting on-chain evidence that funds were drawn from some customer-linked wallets. The exact attack vector has not been disclosed by the exchange, and the identity of those responsible is unknown as of this report.","heading":"November 2026 Security Incident and Suspicious Outflows","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"The Block: Mercado Bitcoin hit by $46 million security breach","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-11-02-mercado-bitcoin-hack-46-million-brazil-exchange-432333"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Decrypt: Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals after $40 million hack","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/382341/mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-40-million-hack"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Briefing: Mercado Bitcoin freezes deposits and withdrawals after security incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/mercado-bitcoin-suspends-deposits-withdrawals-40m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin.com News: Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals, estimated $46M stolen","type":"news_article","url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/security/brazil-mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-estimated-46m-stolen/"}]},{"content":"Mercado Bitcoin's public position, reported by Bloomberg Línea and Criptonoticias, is that client funds are safe, that there was no data breach, and that any confirmed losses will be absorbed using company funds and security reserves rather than passed on to customers. The exchange published destination wallet addresses associated with the suspicious transactions to aid tracing efforts and stated it is coordinating with authorities and security firms to investigate. The discrepancy between the exchange's framing (an unconfirmed \"security incident\" with no customer impact) and third-party analysts' on-chain findings (tens of millions in outflows, some reportedly from customer-linked wallets) remains unresolved, and no independent audit confirming either account has been published.","heading":"Company Statements and Disputed Figures","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Bloomberg Línea: Mercado Bitcoin suffers $40M hacker attack but rules out customer losses","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com.br/crypto/mercado-bitcoin-sofre-ataque-hacker-de-us-40-mi-mas-descarta-perdas-para-clientes/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Criptonoticias: Mercado Bitcoin confirms security incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.criptonoticias.com/seguridad-bitcoin/mercado-bitcoin-confirma-incidente-seguridad/"}]},{"content":"Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that approximately $4.5 million in USDT tied to the Mercado Bitcoin incident was frozen by Tether. This is notable in part because Tether had previously invested in the exchange; reporting indicates Tether put $20 million into Mercado Bitcoin in July 2026, a relationship that predates the security incident. The freeze represents a small fraction of the total suspicious outflow estimates and does not resolve the broader scope of the loss.","heading":"Tether Freeze and Prior Investment Relationship","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin.com News: Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals, estimated $46M stolen","type":"news_article","url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/security/brazil-mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-estimated-46m-stolen/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinStats: Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin to absorb $40M hack loss, says customer funds are safe","type":"news_article","url":"https://coinstats.app/news/a8854f5d1d90f307635b79ef75d0be73a7e0759721e1c224c23a704c0dcfbb7d_Brazils-Mercado-Bitcoin-to-absorb-40M-hack-loss-says-customer-funds-are-safe/"}]},{"content":"The Mercado Bitcoin incident occurred within days of a separate, far larger security event: a reported roughly $6.3 billion hack affecting Binance around October 29, 2026. Reporting on the Mercado Bitcoin incident has noted this proximity in time as part of a broader cluster of exchange security incidents in late October and early November 2026, but no public evidence has linked the two events, and Mercado Bitcoin has not alleged a connection between the incidents or attributed its incident to any specific threat actor, including North Korea-linked groups sometimes associated with large exchange hacks.","heading":"Industry Context: Timing Relative to the Binance Hack","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Bankless: Four more crypto hacks land days after Binance","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bankless.com/read/news/four-more-crypto-hacks-land-days-after-binance.md"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Block: Mercado Bitcoin hit by $46 million security breach","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-11-02-mercado-bitcoin-hack-46-million-brazil-exchange-432333"}]},{"content":"Mercado Bitcoin was founded in 2013 by brothers Gustavo and Mauricio Chamati as Brazil's first cryptocurrency brokerage and has operated as the country's largest crypto exchange by volume. Its parent holding company, 2TM Group, received a $200 million investment from SoftBank's Latin America Fund in 2021 at a reported valuation of roughly $2.1 billion, and later took on investment from Tether. 2TM's portfolio includes several financial-services and crypto-adjacent subsidiaries. Prior to the November 2026 incident, no major prior security breach at the exchange was identified in available reporting.","heading":"Company Background","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"TechCrunch: Mercado Bitcoin raises $200M from SoftBank","type":"news_article","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/01/mercado-bitcoin-raises-200m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bloomberg Línea: SoftBank-backed crypto brokerage 2TM raises $50 million","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com/2021/11/30/softbank-backed-crypto-brokerage-in-brazil-raises-50-million/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"The Block: Mercado Bitcoin hit by $46 million security breach","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-11-02-mercado-bitcoin-hack-46-million-brazil-exchange-432333"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Decrypt: Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals after $40 million hack","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/382341/mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-40-million-hack"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Briefing: Mercado Bitcoin freezes deposits and withdrawals after security incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/mercado-bitcoin-suspends-deposits-withdrawals-40m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin.com News: Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin halts withdrawals, estimated $46M stolen","type":"news_article","url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/security/brazil-mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-estimated-46m-stolen/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bloomberg Línea: Mercado Bitcoin suffers $40M hacker attack but rules out customer losses","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com.br/crypto/mercado-bitcoin-sofre-ataque-hacker-de-us-40-mi-mas-descarta-perdas-para-clientes/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Criptonoticias: Mercado Bitcoin confirms security incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.criptonoticias.com/seguridad-bitcoin/mercado-bitcoin-confirma-incidente-seguridad/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinStats: Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin to absorb $40M hack loss, says customer funds are safe","type":"news_article","url":"https://coinstats.app/news/a8854f5d1d90f307635b79ef75d0be73a7e0759721e1c224c23a704c0dcfbb7d_Brazils-Mercado-Bitcoin-to-absorb-40M-hack-loss-says-customer-funds-are-safe/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bankless: Four more crypto hacks land days after Binance","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bankless.com/read/news/four-more-crypto-hacks-land-days-after-binance.md"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TechCrunch: Mercado Bitcoin raises $200M from SoftBank","type":"news_article","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/01/mercado-bitcoin-raises-200m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bloomberg Línea: SoftBank-backed crypto brokerage 2TM raises $50 million","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com/2021/11/30/softbank-backed-crypto-brokerage-in-brazil-raises-50-million/"}],"summary":"Mercado Bitcoin is Brazil's largest cryptocurrency exchange, founded in 2013 and owned by holding company 2TM Group, which has drawn investment from SoftBank and Tether. On November 2, 2026, the exchange confirmed a security incident and suspended deposits and withdrawals after blockchain security firms identified tens of millions of dollars in suspicious outflows; as of this report the exact cause, scope, and resolution remain unconfirmed and disputed between the exchange and outside analysts.","timeline":[{"date":"2013","event":"Mercado Bitcoin founded in Brazil by Gustavo and Mauricio Chamati, becoming the country's first cryptocurrency brokerage.","source":"TechCrunch / iq.wiki company profiles","source_url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/01/mercado-bitcoin-raises-200m/"},{"date":"2021-07","event":"SoftBank's Latin America Fund invests $200 million in 2TM Group, Mercado Bitcoin's parent company, at a reported valuation near $2.1 billion.","source":"TechCrunch","source_url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/01/mercado-bitcoin-raises-200m/"},{"date":"2026-07","event":"Tether reportedly invests $20 million in Mercado Bitcoin.","source":"Bitcoin.com News","source_url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/security/brazil-mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-estimated-46m-stolen/"},{"date":"2026-10","date_original":"2026-10-29","event":"Binance is reported to suffer a roughly $6.3 billion security incident, days before the Mercado Bitcoin incident.","source":"Bankless","source_url":"https://www.bankless.com/read/news/four-more-crypto-hacks-land-days-after-binance.md"},{"date":"2026-11","date_original":"2026-11-02","event":"Mercado Bitcoin confirms a security incident and suspends deposits and withdrawals; security firms report $40-46 million in suspicious outflows across at least ten blockchains.","source":"The Block / Decrypt / Crypto Briefing","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-11-02-mercado-bitcoin-hack-46-million-brazil-exchange-432333"},{"date":"2026-11","event":"Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino states that approximately $4.5 million in USDT linked to the incident was frozen.","source":"Bitcoin.com News","source_url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/security/brazil-mercado-bitcoin-halts-withdrawals-estimated-46m-stolen/"}]},"v":1}