Cryptocurrency exchange mistakenly gives away 620,000 Bitcoin to users.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb announced that it had inadvertently given away over $44 billion worth of Bitcoin to customers. This triggered a sharp sell-off on the exchange.

In a promotional event for its users, Bithumb planned to distribute cash rewards of 2,000 won (US$1.37) or more to each customer.

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb inadvertently gifted over $44 billion worth of Bitcoin to its customers (Photo: Reuters).

However, a technical glitch caused each participating account to receive 2,000 Bitcoin. In total, 620,000 Bitcoin were mistakenly distributed to users' accounts. Currently, this amount of Bitcoin is worth over $44 billion.

To date, Bithumb says it has recovered 99.7% of the 620,000 Bitcoin. The company also restricted trading and withdrawals for 695 affected customers within 35 minutes of the incident.

The incident also quickly affected the price of Bitcoin on the Bithumb exchange. The price of Bitcoin on this exchange plummeted by 17% before recovering to a level comparable to the market.

"We want to clarify that this incident was not related to a cyberattack or external security breach. At the same time, there were no issues with our security systems or customer asset management," Bithumb said in a statement.

Bithumb is currently the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the South Korean market, behind Upbit.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/san-tien-so-tang-nham-620000-bitcoin-cho-nguoi-dung-20260207115652684.htm