Bithumb to Reimburse $40B Bitcoin Error Victims (KRW: 08450)

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb, which mistakenly distributed over $40 billion worth of Bitcoin on February 5, 2026, announced it will reimburse customers who sold in panic to cover their losses and award an additional 10% bonus. The error—keying in Bitcoin instead of KRW for a promotion—resulted in 620,000 BTC being distributed to 695 users. The exchange halted and retrieved 99.7% of the coins within minutes. Customer losses are estimated at about 1 billion KRW as of 4 p.m. February 7, with Bithumb using corporate assets to restore balances. On Bithumb, prices briefly fell 17% to about $55,400 and volume spiked during the incident. CEO Lee Jae-won apologized, acknowledging stability and integrity failures. Regulators convened an emergency inspection meeting. Global crypto remains volatile following October’s liquidations, with Bitcoin near $68,000 as of Saturday morning.