The World’s Biggest Crypto Heist

World Brief FP’s flagship daily , catching you up on 24 hours of news in five minutes. Suspected North Korean hackers stole $6.36 billion in digital coins from Binance. An illustration of Alexandra Sharp, World Brief writer Alexandra Sharp , the World Brief writer at Foreign Policy. The Binance logo is displayed on a phone screen adjacent to an image from a crypto exchange on a laptop. The Binance logo is displayed on a phone screen adjacent to an image from a crypto exchange on a laptop in London on Oct. 30. Dan Kitwood/ October 30, 2026, PM Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an alleged North Korean cyberattack on Binance, Israel’s parliamentary election results, and mixed NATO messaging on Russia’s threat to Europe. $6.36 Billion in 20 Minutes Hackers targeted the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange late Thursday, stealing more than $6 billion in under 30 minutes. Experts are calling it the biggest crypto heist in history, and initial investigations suggest that North Korea is to blame. Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an alleged North Korean cyberattack on Binance, Israel’s parliamentary election results, and mixed NATO messaging on Russia’s threat to Europe. $6.36 Billion in 20 Minutes Hackers targeted the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange late Thursday, stealing more than $6 billion in under 30 minutes. Experts are calling it the biggest crypto heist in history, and initial investigations suggest that North Korea is to blame. S.-based blockchain research firm TRM Labs, an elite North Korean hacking unit called TraderTraitor targeted $6.36 billion in Binance digital coins spread across 10 blockchains. The hackers were unable to access consumer accounts, instead only affecting Binance corporate holdings. Around $3 billion in assets have already been located or frozen, but TRM Labs estimates that the hackers had moved roughly $2.4 billion in crypto coins “beyond any issuer’s reach.” “Your assets are safe,” Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on Friday in a statement intended to ease customers’ concerns. However, analysts argue that the heist—despite its limited impact on consumers—has exposed the risks of trading crypto as well as the growing prowess of North Korean hacking efforts. Cryptocurrency is a relatively new phenomenon in the world of economics—and one that is still largely unregulated. In June 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet” if elected for a second term, and since then, he has focused on reducing aggressive oversight of the lucrative industry.