Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to become a global centre for digital assets face a significant test after Binance suffered a $6.3B cryptocurrency theft, prompting engagement from the emirate’s financial regulator.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market said it was engaging closely with the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange following the attack.
Binance attributes the attack to a compromise of its internal systems.
Pressure on ADGM
The incident brings renewed scrutiny to Binance’s Gulf operations, which include three ADGM-regulated entities, and its institutional relationships in the region.
Abu Dhabi technology investor MGX committed $2B to the exchange in March 2025, becoming its first institutional investor.
Binance pledged to cover customer losses and said it has frozen approximately $3B of affected assets in cooperation with cryptocurrency issuers and other counterparties.
Alleged Hackers
The FBI has attributed the attack to North Korea’s TraderTraitor hacking group yet any thorough investigation is pending.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is releasing information advising the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion USD in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026,” the statement said.
Malicious actors from North Korea were observed laundering the stolen assets by converting them into Ethereum, said the FBI, adding that it expects “further laundering stages” for the stolen digital assets.
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