FBI recovers $1.2 billion stolen from Binance
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tribune Online
The FBI has recovered more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in the biggest crypto heist in history. The theft, attributed to the North Korean group TraderTraitor at around $6.3 billion, led US authorities and private partners to freeze more than $2.7 billion, according to the FBI.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US federal police, has obtained judicial authorisation to seize more than $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. The agency announced the recovery on Thursday 12 November, after attributing the hack, estimated at about $6.3 billion, to the North Korean hacking group TraderTraitor, Tribune Online reports.
US authorities and their private-sector partners have already frozen more than $2.7 billion in assets linked to the theft, committed in October 2026. The US Department of Justice obtained judicial authorisation covering more than $1.2 billion among the frozen funds. Their final allocation may require forfeiture proceedings before a judge, who will determine the rights of the various parties to the seized assets.
Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli, of the Central District of California, said that cryptocurrencies were becoming an increasingly attractive target for North Korean cybercriminals. He presented the seizure as a demonstration of the US authorities' determination to pursue funds derived from cybercrime. US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro also said that authorities had acted quickly to prevent the assets from being transferred to channels where their recovery would have become more difficult.
The FBI also accuses North Korea of carrying out another operation, called FaceStealer, which allegedly generated about $400 million through cryptocurrency thefts over the past 18 months. According to the agency, the operation relied in particular on social engineering techniques, the hijacking of messaging applications and the use of artificial intelligence-generated fake videos. US officials believe these cybercriminal activities contribute to the financing of the North Korean government and its weapons programme.
The seizure comes after the Binance hack estimated at $6.3 billion, reported on 30 October 2026. The FBI had also attributed, on 13 November, $400 million in cryptocurrency thefts to North Korean hackers.
